Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Episode Date: September 14, 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, to catch a killer, the escaped Pennsylvania fugitive captured by cops, convicted murderer Danello Calvacanti, nabed by police after 14 days on the run. The Brazilian National bloodied and shackled after he was taken down in the woods, how thermal cameras and a Border Patrol canine finally captured the armed and dangerous convict. Plus, a U.S. Marshal involved in the search joins Top Story in just moments. What he tells us, Cavalcanti confessed after he was captured about plans to carjack someone and escape. Plus, what he was carrying with him in a backpack found by police. The food he survived on for two weeks and where the convicted killer is tonight.

Impeachment war room, President Biden declining to comment publicly on the impeachment inquiry launched against him by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. But what we're learning tonight about how this team is preparing behind closed doors, Hurricane Ready. Lee, barreling towards Maine, packing winds over 100 miles per hour. But are residents ready for a rare direct hit in Maine? We'll talk to the state's largest power company as they brace for impact. An update tonight on the Idaho College murders, a judge hearing arguments over whether cameras will be allowed in the courtroom as Brian Koberger is tried for allegedly killing four college students where that decision stands as court lets out of the day. Maui ready for tourists six weeks after those catastrophic.

wildfires, how some local businesses are preparing to welcome back crowds, and why others are still saying it's too soon to reopen. Plus, dramatic video capturing the moment an explosion rocked in New York neighborhood would spark that powerful blast. And the global music star with a target on his back by one of the world's most notorious cartels is threatening to kill Pesso Pluma if he performs at an upcoming concert. Top story starts right now. And good evening, tonight relief in Pennsylvania as a 14-day nightmare comes to an end. The convicted killer who escaped from prison and has evaded police for two weeks, hiding in the woods and showing up on suburban doorsteps, has finally been captured.

You can see the moment right here, 34-year-old Danello Cavalcanti in the custody of state police wearing an eagle sweatshirt. He likely picked up while on the run. A streak of what looks like blood running down the side of his face. And it was a moment Pennsylvania police had been desperately working towards since August 31st, the day Cavalcanti made his daring escape, stretching himself you see here between two parallel walls in an exercise yard, climbing out of the Chester County prison where he was serving a life sentence for killing his former girlfriend. The 34-year-old fleeing to the woods, a trail camera spotting him twice in the Longwood Gardens area on some September 14th, that siding, placing him outside the initial search perimeter first set up by

police. He was spotted again five days later, look at this, with a drastically different appearance showing up on the doorstep of a former co-worker. Then the moment the danger level reached a new high, Cavalcanti making it 20 miles north of the prison, escaping yet another police perimeter, breaking into a garage and stealing a rifle before disappearing yet again. But tonight, the community able to exhale with Cavalcanti back. in the custody of police finally. And now the lingering questions, how did this man manage to evade

police for 14 days, getting past one police perimeter after another? Tonight, this photo is showing police, right? Posing with a convicted murderer, perhaps a trophy shot. But was there a cause for this type of celebration? The five foot fugitive from Brazil alluded them

for two weeks in a terrain he did not know. And some are now questioning what could have been done better? At the bottom of that photo, though, one getting heaps of praise tonight. Yo to the dog. You see him right here, a Customs and Border Patrol canine

credited with taking Cavalcanti down. Cavalcanti never saw him coming, that dog biting him on the skull as he crawled through the brush with his rifle, then biting him another time until the fugitive gave up. Cavalcanti tonight sent to a state

correctional facility where he will serve the remainder of his life sentence. The maximum security prison releasing a new mugshot. Look at him. This is Calaacanti. tonight, when they hope will not end up plastered on wanted posters should he escape again. In a moment, our conversation with the U.S. Marshal involved in the search, the incredible details he gives us. What he says the suspect confessed he was about to do right before he was

captured. But first, NBC's George Solis, who has been tracking this manhunt from the beginning, leads us off. Tonight, a tense 14-day manhunt is finally over. Shortly after 8 a.m., our suspect was captured. After an exhaustive search, escape killer Danielo Cavalcante is back in police custody. Our nightmare is finally over. The dramatic series of events happening overnight. A DEA aircraft with thermal imaging picked up a heat source, but then was forced to leave during severe weather. So tactical teams closed in to secure the area and hours later moved in. Cavalcante did not realize he was surrounded until that had occurred. That did not stop him from trying to escape. He began to crawl through thick underbrush, taking his rifle with him as he went.

Authorities say as he tried to escape, it was a canine that took him down. Seen here in this photo, the canine identified as Yoda by Customs and Border Protection. He continued to resist but was forcibly taken into custody. No shots were fired. Word quickly spreading on police radio. I'm proud to announce the subject is in custody. Feeding subject is in custody. Store manager, Jim Martin saw Cavalcante being taken away. We watched him basically walk him up. One camouflaged trooper had his gun, his rifle. Officers on the scene posing for this picture with a handcuff Cavalcante. They're not doing anything to demean him or harm him in any way there. They've handled him well since he was taken into custody. I'm proud of them and their work.

The manhunt started when the elusive Cavalcante was seen crab walking out of prison. He was spotted multiple times. over the next two weeks, including this doorbell video where he tried to get in contact with a former co-worker. Then he stole and ditched a van, then managed to steal a rifle and ammo while on the run. Tonight, a community relieved. I feel like a waddle is off my shoulders. A lot safer, definitely, just because he was in our backyard. The family of Jebo Brandau, the ex-girlfriend Cavalcante, was convicted of murdering, releasing a statement saying in part they were deeply grateful for the support and hard work by authorities.

No one in the community was harmed and no law enforcement officer was harmed either. So that's really, that's the win. Okay, George Solis joins us live tonight. George, you have been in and out of that community for the last two weeks. I know you spoke to a couple residents there. Give us a better sense of what's the feeling around those neighborhoods that surround that prison and where the moving perimeter was. Yeah, Tom, a big sigh of relief.

A lot of people saying this is what they've been expecting. This is what they were hoping for. They want to get back to their day-to-day lives. They've been paralyzed with fear. So many people wondering if this fugitive was going to show up on their doorstep, was going to try and break into their homes, was going to do the unthinkable. A lot of businesses and schools shut down, essentially,

while this manhunt was ongoing here. Many of them saying they just wanted to feel like they could trust authorities here every time they went up to the podium and saying, we're getting closer, we're getting closer, and it wasn't happening. But tonight, residents here. feel assured that police did their job with Donello Cavalcanton back in police custody. Tom? George Solis, who has been covering this story for us from the get-go.

George, we appreciate all of your reporting. I want to bring in now Robert Clark. He's the supervisory deputy for the U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Deputy Clark, thank you so much for joining Top Story after a very busy two weeks for you. Walk us through the final moments of this mission to capture Cavalcanti. How were you confident that you had him? Well, shortly before midnight last night, some of our aerial assets were able to pick up a heat signature, and we believe that was Calvacante moving through the woods.

The heat signature was different than things that we've seen in the past, such as deer, fox, and other animals. This more looked like a human still wet. So everyone was very excited, however, shortly after we obtained that image, severe weather moved in, and that forced our aerial asset down. That's when Lieutenant Colonel Bivens decided to create an inner perimeter around this heat signature, and we would wait until morning when we had better weather and more assets around who we believe Calvaconte to go in and affect the arrest. So a little way after 8 o'clock, members of the Bortak and Pennsylvania State Police cert team were able to get to the area where that heat signature was located.

The Bortak team actually got a visual on Calvacante. He was given verbal commands to come out of the hiding spot that he was in. He did not. He actually intended to—I'm sorry, he actually started crawling away. And at that point, the tactical canine was released. I believe the canine's first bite was on the crown of his head or on top of the head, which is why you see so much blood in some of these photos. And the second bite was in the lower leg extremity.

The dog's a biting a hold dog, so when he bit—I'm sure Mr. of Cavalcanti was an excruciating pain. He then submitted to some of the verbal commands and the tactical teams were able to take him into custody. Deputy Clark, you know, I know you gave us a little bit there. Talk to us more about the dog. We know his name is Yoda. He's from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He helped to finally apprehend Cavalcante. There's a photo for our viewers. We know he's a Belgian Malinwa. Talk to us about how effective these dogs are in a situation like that. Well, we've had many man hunts here. The state police have had many at man hunts with U.S. Marshal Service supporting.

And every time we get in a large wooded or urban area, we try to utilize these canines. They're scent. It is a lot better than what humans can pick up, and they are trained for these type of environments. And we were operating in two extremely tough environments, one around the Longwood Gardens area, one in the East Ant Mill, and the foliage, the vegetation, the terrain was extremely difficult. to operate in, and there were thousands of places to hide. And these dogs help us dial into certain locations where sometimes we can't get to. And I got that sort of sets up my next question, Deputy Clark. And I ask this as somebody, you know, who doesn't do what you do. But

help us understand. How did a five-foot fugitive from Brazil outsmart, not just local law enforcement, but state and federal law enforcement in a terrain that he did not know? Well, I don't want to say outsmart. Ultimately, well, we had a goal, and that goal was to set up a tactical perimeter once he was in an area we believed to be in, cut off his resources, cut off his communication to the outside world, and stress him, make him make mistakes, make him move. And ultimately, that's what Lieutenant Colonel Bivens did. His investigators, along with U.S. Marshal Service investigators, all were on the same page of the tactical plan. The issue is the environment, once again, extremely tough. Smallwood Gardens, eight square mile perimeter, extreme heat the last week that we were operating,

number of places to hide. Vegetation is so thick that unless you stepped on them, we would not see him. And ultimately, when we conducted a post-rest interview, he admitted to those factors that there were times where at least three times where law enforcement officers were almost stepping on him, and the area was saturated, so he felt he needed to move locations. Did he tell you how he was living day-to-day, how he was drinking water, how he was eating in those dense woods? He did. So early in the investigation, he stated that he had found watermelons or a watermelon farm, and he was living off watermelon. He was drinking from the

stream. He was moving at night only. The first three days, he stated he moved very, very little distance, and every time that he would hunker down, so to say, would be under thick, thick brush, which was almost impassable. Other things that he said was that he obtained a backpack from one of the residences that he was casing. Inside that backpack was a razor. I know a lot of people had questions about how did he get so clean-shaven with somebody helping him.

The simple answer was there was just a razor in that backpack. He moved along the edge of tree lines. went so far as the highest people matter, so that law enforcement wouldn't be able to determine the spots where he was betting down. Do we know the story behind the backpack? Is that something that he had someone plant or he just happened to find? No, not at all. He stated he had taken it from a residence early in his flight. We're not sure which residence it was, but he admitted that backpack was taken very early in the flight. Finally, Deputy... Yeah, I'm sorry, go ahead. No, no, go ahead.

Ultimately, his endgame was to carjack somebody. That's why he needed to obtain a weapon. That's why he held onto that rifle. He said the law enforcement presence was overwhelming in the area of the second perimeter, and he decided he wanted to carjack somebody and head north either towards Canada or he intended to get to Puerto Rico. So that was his plan in the next 24-hour show. There couldn't have been a better time for us to locate an apprehend him.

And then, Deputy, I mean, you guys, it did take two weeks. What did you learn from this manhunt? We learned that sometimes getting into difficult environments are going to take time. I know I learned under the Incident Command of Lieutenant Colonel Bivens that the environment doesn't always work to our advantage. And we just have to endure the Marshal Service put together an incredible investigative team, should he slip the perimeter? We weren't just hanging around waiting for tips. We used technology. We used resources from our other agencies. And the coalition of non-enforcement agencies that participated was just immense. I think the governor said it correct, is this is how government

is supposed to work. Law enforcement agencies coming together for a common goal, and that's exactly what happened here. And they had the right gentleman to do it in the tenant, Colonel Bivens. He's very experienced, and I was proud to work with him over the past two weeks. Supervisory Deputy Robert Clark for the U.S. Marshals in Eastern District of Pennsylvania. We thank you for your time and all those details. We now turn to the White House, slamming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to open an impeachment inquiry against President Biden. McCarthy defending the move today while some in his party still threatened to oust him for leadership. NBC's Peter Alexander is at the White House.

Mr. President Biden tonight not responding to shouted question. about the House Republicans' new impeachment inquiry, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy is defending his decision to move forward. An impeachment inquiry is simply empowering the House to a greater level to get the documents they need to answer questions. House Republicans are investigating whether President Biden profited off the foreign business dealings of his son Hunter and other family members, but have not yet found any direct evidence.

The White House says the president did nothing wrong. political stunt, and it is going after the president politically, not about the truth. Tonight, Democrats argue McCarthy's move is intended to satisfy his party's most conservative members, but some are still threatening his speakership. This is a baby step following weeks of pressure from House conservatives to do more. After promising a vote, McCarthy ordered the inquiry on his own, noting Democrats did the same thing against former President Trump. Nancy Pelosi changed

the president of this House. Why you would it have to be different today? Peter Alexander joins us tonight from the White House. Peter, we saw there in the report the President ignored those shouted questions today, but we know the White House has been preparing for a possible impeachment inquiry? Yeah, Tom, that's right. The White

House has been anticipating this Republican move recently assembling a war room of two dozen lawyers, legislative aides and communications staffers is first reported by NBC News. to lead an aggressive response to the impeachment inquiry. Also notable today, we heard from the chair, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee,

saying that they will hold their first hearing in this impeachment inquiry later this month. Tom. Okay, an update right there. Peter, we thank you. Time now for the forecast, and Hurricane Lee taking aim at the northeast. The storm weakening to a category two hurricane as it moves northward towards the east coast, but still threatening dangerous surf, large waves and life. threatening rip currents with flooding likely and already hard hit New England. I want to get

right over to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karen. So Bill, every night you're walking us through with Hurricane Lee. Take us through what's the latest here and talk to us about some of those flooding concerns. Oh, we're getting closer to the impacts of Lee. It looks like late Friday night and then all day Saturday is when up here on Cape Cod or the islands up towards Maine, Nova Scotia. That's the areas that will be affected. So it has weakened. The storm, the big story is how huge it is. You don't have to be in the center of this thing to have significant weather well outside of that. So the storm goes by Bermuda, but Bermuda's still going have tropical storm force wind gusts. And then as we go through Friday night to Saturday, we'll

have a hurricane entering the Gulf of Maine. Doesn't happen all that often. And then it will be taking that right-hand turn after it gets past Cape Cod. We have hurricane watches up for the coast of Maine, just in case. We get a little bit of shift. It wouldn't take much. And tropical storm watches for Nantucket, all the way through the coastal areas of Rhode Island, the Boston, to Portland. And even far from the center, it does look like the possibility of those tropical storm force gust, even in Boston. All of our computers, this only tracks the center of the storm. It does keep it away from areas of New England and turns it to the right. But here's the wind field. And this is just an enormous, large storm. Everywhere in yellow at 9 a.m. Saturday shows where we're

going to have tropical storm winds. That's 39 miles per hour plus. And notice that's all of Nantucket and Cape Cod. So if we get Gus to 40 to 60, which our computers are saying we can, that's enough to have some tree damage and have some power outages and both of our computers are in agreement. Here's the last piece, Tom. If we get that high tide Saturday right around noon, we could have a two to four foot storm surge with the high tide. We'll have to watch those areas from Sandwich the Brewster carefully. Yeah, going to be a busy weekend for New England. Okay, Bill, we thank you for that. As parts of the Northeast are bracing for Hurricane Lee, preparations are now underway in Maine for what could be the state's first major hurricane in decades. Joining us now

from Portland, Maine is Jonathan Breed, a spokesperson for Central. Maine power. Jonathan, thanks so much for being here. I wanted to talk to somebody from Maine that had sort of a position of importance when it comes to this hurricane because I got to think you're watching this storm closely because you don't get a lot of hurricanes. Hi, Tom. Thanks for having me. That's right. Our team has been watching the storm since late last week. And as your team noted, and our meteorologists agree, the track has been very unstable. It's moved and changed. And even now, we don't quite know where it's going to make landfall, whether that's Maine or the Canadian Atlantic Coast. So we're getting prepared.

We're bringing in crews from throughout the Northeast. We are very fortunate to be part of a larger utility company, Avon Grid, and can rely on the resources of our sister utilities in New York and Connecticut, if needed. So a lot of preparations going on here, but our team is ready. So, Jonathan, I do want to ask you, it has been a while since the United. The last major hurricane hit Maine. We have a graphic here for our viewers. The most recent was in 1991 with Hurricane Bob,

which left three people dead and caused more than $5 million of damage in your area. Before that, Hurricane Gloria struck in 1985 and Hurricanes Carol and Edna all the way back in 1954. So my question to you is that, and I cover a lot of storms, and I always remind our viewers of this, that storms expose vulnerabilities, right, in cities and states when they hit. What are you most worried about? Because, again, this is not something that you have to prepare for. You usually prepare for nor Easter's. How does this preparation differ?

Well, one of the unique circumstances that we're facing this summer has been an incredibly wet summer. I think I saw something earlier today that said it was the seventh wettest summer in Maine's history. What that means that the ground is incredibly saturated and the trees here are under stress. We've had trees here start to turn colors and lose their leaves as early. is August. Those conditions, those stress trees combined with high winds means that the trees could worsen the impacts of this storm. While we as a company are taking that very seriously in doing grid planning, we're talking to a lot of the other emergency management agencies here, the Department of Transportation, because road closures, flooding, all that is on the table in

terms of risks. So we're coordinating closely with local officials, and we're going to be prepared to respond and help our customers and help our fellow Mainers should we need it. You talked about the current conditions. Anything about the infrastructure there in Maine that's different from the other coastal communities on the East Coast or Florida or Texas or in the Gulf when we talk about hurricanes? Sure. So I would go back to the comment again about trees. Maine is the densest forested state or has the dentist forests of any state in the nation,

again, just to really compound that issue of tree health. and the threats that that could potentially bring to the state. And then finally, what is the mood in Maine tonight? I mean, are people watching this? Are they worried about this? Or people kind of just, hey, it's going to be off the coast and we'll see what happens? I think the local leadership here is doing a fantastic job preparing. The local media here has been doing a great job getting out ahead of it.

We've been in contact with both and are making preparations. Mainers are very resilient people, and I have no doubt that we will face this and we will come out on the other side better for it. I hope so. Jonathan Breed, we thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. Still, I had a shocking phone call captured on police body cam. But one Seattle police officer was caught saying moments after a fellow officer hit and killed a pedestrian with this car, you're not going to believe this. We'll play you that tape and tell you how the department is responding tonight.

Plus, dramatic video capturing a home explosion. You saw it right there. This happened in New York. What triggered that blast? And a member of Congress kicked that. of the audience in the middle of Beetlejuice, what she's accused of doing that upset other theater goers. Stay with us. Top story. Just getting started on this Wednesday night. Okay, we're back now with the latest on the Idaho College murders, a judge hearing arguments today

about whether cameras will be allowed in court for the murder trial. Both the prosecutors and the defense urged the judge to restrict the media presence during the trial. Here was a scene just an hour ago, the defense claiming that the cameras would be prejudicial against their client. The prosecution, siding with the defense in this case, arguing the cameras will have an effect on the ability of witnesses to testify. But the prosecution's argument goes against the wishes of at least one victim's family members. Kaylee Gonzalez is his father telling NBC News why he wants the cameras there. So we're all for, like truth, transparency, the cameras being in there. and letting the community decide.

For more on the upcoming ruling and what this means for the case, I want to bring in NBC's newest legal analyst and an old friend of Top Story, Angela Senadella. She joins us now live here in studio. So Angela, so there was a court hearing earlier today. I know you were following the developments. Court adjourned, update our viewers.

Will there be cameras in court? Well, we don't know yet, so the judge has not made a ruling, but I suspect the judge is leaning towards not allowing the cameras. And that's because we got a hint from his statement where he said the media is intervening these days. He thinks 10 years ago the media did not intervene.

It's really about social media. He thinks social media and the media together can distort, can taint, and that is problematic when the judge's main role is to ensure impartiality and fairness. So he's not really talking about O.J. Simpson here. He's talking about, as you mentioned, social media. This is something that he said out loud or he put out a statement on this.

He said out loud, and he also mentioned OJ. He said it was a circus, and he doesn't really want a circus in his courtroom. So what's your sense? I mean, does the media have... have a case here because they will want and be in favor of showing this to viewers. We heard from one family member who also wants cameras in court. How does the judge decide this? So the attorneys for the media went in today and made a good case. They said, look, First Amendment access, the public has a right to know. But ultimately, it's all up to the judge,

entire discretion up to the judge. And if he thinks that the media will actually impair the fairness of the trial, then the media, frankly, doesn't matter. He cares most about what happens, in his courtroom. Then why would a judge ever allow cameras into a courtroom then? Well, the idea there is transparency, is it actually keeps the courtroom accountable from the prosecutors to the judge himself. So cameras can be allowed in, but judges... And can serve a good public purpose, I think, is where you were going with that. Yes, absolutely. I mean, if you look at the prosecution, they're not just some random man, they're we the people. They're arguing on behalf of the public. So it makes sense for cameras to be allowed in. It's, but it's your sense

that this is likely not going to happen. And it also comes on the heels of Lori Valo, where the Idaho judge there had a similar feeling and ultimately banned cameras, thinking that this could taint the jury pool. Idaho is small. There aren't that many jurors. Right. And then once the judge makes that decision, that can't be appealed? Totally final. No appeal. Okay. So we kind of know maybe where this is headed. I do want to follow up on the case. The last we heard about this case, there was a sort of alibi suddenly that the defense had put up that Brian Coburger wasn't driving to the house. He was just driving in the area.

Have they provided any evidence to prove that? No, they haven't. And the prosecution has asked repeatedly for greater evidence. In fact, the prosecution said, that just places him at the scene of the crime. It doesn't exonerate him whatsoever. The defense has not yet provided a response, but we hope they will at their September 22nd hearing. This trial was supposed to start the first week of October. We know now that's not going to happen.

What's the latest? Do we know when the court dates, like, you just mentioned this other court hearing in September? Yes, so this next hearing is the motion. to dismiss that was brought by the defendant, and there we expect either a trial date to be announced or a trial date to be discussed between the parties. We don't expect this motion to dismiss to be granted, but look, his team is claiming prosecutorial misconduct and all sorts of things the judge has to hear. And you think this, so this case, the trial date will be later on. Yes. In the fall or winter next year? You know, it could take months, yes. Okay. Angela Sondella,

great to have you here, as usual. Okay, we turn out to a really disturbing story, the release of alarming body cam footage of a Seattle police officer who was recorded joking over the phone after a fellow policeman hit a 23-year-old woman with his car killing her. What he said in the victim's family's heartbreaking response, Valerie Castro with the tape and the story. Tonight, disturbing statements and even laughing by a Seattle police officer immediately following a deadly car accident caught on his department-issued body camera. I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, then when he hit the brakes, flew off

the car. but she is dead no it's a regular person officer Daniel Otterer allegedly making the remarks when a fellow officer hit a pedestrian with his marked patrol car in January according to Seattle police 23-year-old Janavi Kandula was killed in the accident officer otterer also responded to the scene tasked with drug testing the officer involved in the crash per protocol. The recorded conversation captures Otterer, who is vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild,

talking to the guild's president, the topic, the apparent value of Kondula's life. Yeah, just write a check. Just $11,000. She was 26 anyway. She had limited value. It's unclear what the other side of the conversation was. NBC News has reached out to both officers but has not heard back.

The video coming to light this week after Seattle police say it was flagged by a department employee who came across it in the routine course of business and was concerned about the nature of statements heard on that video. A Seattle City Council member reacting to the crass comments during a committee meeting. I'm angry and disappointed to hear the way that this detective talked about a fatal collision. NBC News has also reached out to the police department and the Officers Guild for a statement but they haven't responded. The Office of Police Accountability, an oversight agency, confirms it is now investigating the incident. In a statement to King 5 TV in Seattle, Condula's family calling the comments truly disturbing and saddening to hear, adding, Janavi is a beloved daughter and beyond any dollar value for her mother and family. We firmly believe that every human life is invaluable and should not be belittled, especially during a tragic loss.

Okay, Valerie Castro joins us now live in studio. Valerie, do we know what has happened? Any disciplinary measures for the officer that was recorded? We really don't know much. The Seattle Police Department only issued a statement when they first released that body camera footage, but they haven't said anything else about the officer involved. We don't know if he is still on the force. If he's been suspended, we really don't know what his current status is.

The department directed us to file a records request, which we did. We have not heard back, but obviously the pressure is growing for more information as this video continues to gather. And sort of strange because a lot of times police departments, if they are investigating something, especially Officer Miscond, they let us know one way or another. Okay, appreciate it, Valerie. Thank you. When we come back, our check-in tonight with the people of Maui,

five weeks after those catastrophic wildfires, the difficult question of how soon tourists should return to West Maui, why some are begging visitors to return, and others say it's still too soon. We'll explain. Stay with us. Okay, we're back now with Top Story's News Feed and the home explosion caught on camera in upstate New York. Body cam video showing the moment a house outside of Syracuse erupted into a fireball, knocking several nearby officers to the ground.

Officers were responding after a stolen car crashed into the house and neighbors reported smelling gas. Officials say that car hit a gas line causing the explosion. Luckily, no one was hurt there. Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boberg was ejected from a musical in Denver. Surveillance video showing an usher escorting the Colorado lawmaker out of Beetlejuice, an incident report stating the theater received multiple complaints about Bobert and another person allegedly vaping, taking pictures, and causing a disturbance. She initially refused to leave, but did once police recall, Bobert posting on social media that she, quote,

pleads guilty to laughing and singing too loud. And the wife of drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman has been released from custody in California. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirming her release in a statement to NBC News. She has served less than two years of a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to helping run her husband's multi-billion dollar drug trafficking empire in 2021. El Chapo was serving a life sentence in the U.S. at a maximum security prison in Colorado. Okay, tonight we want to turn to an update out of Maui. The governor announcing West Maui hotels were reopened a tourist in just under a month

in an effort to boost the economy after those devastating fires. But some residents feel it's still too soon. Liz Kreutz reports. Five weeks since the devastating Maui wildfires, the island with an economy reliant on tourism, is still grappling with how and when to reopen. What's going to happen when their time at the hotels run out? At an emotional city council meeting Tuesday night,

some business owners begged for tourists to return. It's like we suffered all. heart attack. We fell down the stairs and we broke our arm. So Lahaina is definitely the heart of Maui right now, but while we have to attend to the heart, we still have to attend to the broken arm, which is the rest of Maui's economy. But others are arguing that now is not the time. I understand the push and the need for an economic recovery, but right now we're not prioritizing the right people. State officials recently announced a plan to reopen West Maui on October 8th, two months after the unprecedented fires that tore through the west side of the island

and decimated the historic city of Lahaina. 115 people have been confirmed dead. At least 66 are still missing. Thousands remain displaced. This push to reopen coming as Maui faces a potential economic crisis. The island losing as much as $11 million a day. day in revenue as some of the usually packed hotels are turned into shelters. According to Governor Josh Green, more than 7,000 fire survivors are currently staying in 32 hotels across West Maui. But now next month, the state plans to relocate those residents as the hotels reopen for tourists. So for us, for staying at the hotel, I was like, okay, where are we going to go? Rick Nava, who lost his home to the fire, is among those now living in a hotel. While he

want the island to reopen for tourism. He says he's concerned about where he'll be living once they do. It seems the big question people have is where are we going to go? Yes. Can you imagine if you're staying at the hotel not knowing where you're going to go and suddenly there's a good possibility that, you know, on October 8th, before that you will be displaced. The governor says no fire victim will be kicked out of a hotel without a new place to go, including longer term rentals like an Airbnb. We're going to negotiate a very good rate, over 100% of the baseline rate that people would get from a rental, and we'll keep some hotels because we want to have a cushion so that no one becomes homeless. The state says if hotels remain closed, thousands in

the tourism industry could lose their jobs. For people watching from the mainland, what do you want them to know right now? Please come to Maui. The Lahaina has been destroyed But the spirit of the people, the Aloha spirit, is there. So, yeah, please. Come and see us. And with that, Liz, Croyd's joins us tonight from Los Angeles. Liz, you can hear the emotion there. You saw it in your report.

Can you explain sort of what the plan is right now, what's happening in Maui? Because not all of Maui is closed and West Maui is about to open, so it can kind of be confusing to tourists. Yeah, Tom, so much mixed messaging right now. Communication has been a big issue here. Even Rick says he's been going from hotel to hotel trying to tell folks the state's plan. As far as what tourists need to know, much of Maui is open right now. Areas like Waialea, for instance, in the south part of the island. This is where many of the famous resorts are. That is miles away from Lahaina, as you know, that is open right now. West Maui remains closed. That's going to open next month. And despite some concerns about that, the vast majority of people were talking to say they want tourists to come, that their livelihoods depend on it, Tom. All right, Liz, Croyce for us.

Liz, we appreciate that. For more on the debate over when to welcome tourists back to the island. I'm joined now by Ty Burnett, a scuba diving instructor and business owner based in Lahaina. His scuba diving company

into scuba was completely destroyed by the fires. We met him and spoke to Tai during our time there in Maui. Also with us is John Buck, president of Maverick Helicopters, which offers aerial tours of Maui. We thank you both for joining Top Story again tonight.

Ty, I want to start with you before we get to this tourism debate i want to check it on how you're doing and how your community is tonight um doing okay emotionally still sticking there i'm in california at this time because of housing issues once again like this is you know priority for everybody that's been affected by this um definitely housing is the priority for the people that you know have been displaced um but i'm doing okay right now it's just one day at a time so tie where do you stand on this debate if you will. Can you tell us where your head's at? Well, it's a double-edged sword, really.

You got all the people that are homeless that are getting housing. But a lot of those people own homes that don't even exist anymore. So I'm sure they would like to get back to work somehow. And being that, you know, the Maui economy is driven mainly by tourism, whether you're a tow truck driver, a propane truck driver, cement delivery driver, you're somehow being affected by the tourism. You make money from the tourism. So we need people to be able to get back to work, pay their mortgages, and we don't need to make sure that the governor stands by his promise that there's a cushion so nobody becomes homeless because that is, you know, that's just horrific.

They've been going through a lot. I'm actually, I had to leave because of my insurance didn't cover enough for the housing that costs in Maui. So I've had to go stay with family, friends. Yeah. So I'm affected. And my heart goes off to those people in the hotels. But we go to America and make sure that people do have housing, we need to get an economy built back up.

John, I want that sort of transitions to you. You have a larger company. You own a fleet of helicopters called Maverick Helicopters. You run that company. You're all over Hawaii, especially in Maui. We flew with you and we flew with your team there during right after the wildfires. I got to see your operation up close, John. I know you have several helicopters that aren't cheap. You have several pilots. You have a lot of staff. You have a big footprint

in Maui. Talk to me about what it's been like for you and your business for the last five weeks. Well, fortunately, even though we're a larger company, we still run as a family. And as we heard that, you know, obviously tourism does support the island. We went to our staff and said we are going to guarantee your wages until this returns. Now I understand small operations and so forth. And so we've actually been leaning on our other locations to help support the Maui because we feel that we know it'll come back. And at the end of the day, we don't want to lose any of our team under this unfortunate situation. We know it hits some more than others. Obviously, everybody locally has family or friends. We talked to them all week long. They're still trying to find,

you know, there was a mother that was pregnant that one of our team members knew they were still trying to find that they help us with some food kits. So, you know, we've been doing everything we can. We even rolled out a promotion that you know, through the end of the year, we're going to get back a portion of our tour to the Maui Strong. So we are doing what we can.

And John, I should mention you guys are obviously doing a ton of humanitarian drops. You were, at least when I was there. But John, talk to me about where your business is at right now. You guys have, have you guys been able to fly again, or is any money coming in? Not really. I'll be honest, the first two plus week, we maybe did two, three flights, but each one had two people on it. And, you know, you can't make it work, but we said anybody that's on the island, we want them to be able to go. And if we only can get two people

fly it. I mean, normally we have minimums. But yes, for the first couple of weeks, we almost flew none. We had the cruise lines came back. We do a little bit of cruise business. So this past Sunday, Monday was a little busier. But most days, we don't fly all maybe have one flight again with two people three people but we've said fly anybody who wants to fly obviously we have diverted any tours that would go by Lahaina we no longer include that as part of the experience we we've just diverted our routes a little bit but yeah it's it's been slow we don't see a lot on the pre-bookings we had a ton of cancellation so you know we're just we're supporting our team the best we can making sure they can still pay giving back where

we can. Yeah, we did. One of our team members, her and her family actually did for the first responders, a barbecue at a park. So we're supporting everywhere we can, batteries, go to Costco. The team has all jumped in, but fortunately, we have some other locations that we've leaned on to help financially support the Maui locations. John, I want to get Ty in here real quick. Ty, before we go, I mean, you know, I covered Lahaina. I was there in Lahaina. it is, it's shocking to see. Can West Maui open? Can those hotels open without people sort of seeing what happened?

They're not that they should ever ignore it or forget it. But I'm just wondering that if, how do you open tourism in West Maui with sort of this, this that we're looking at on the screen now still there? Well, they have all that blocked off. National Guard is right there at the, you know, ground zero of it. So, and they've got big black fences up to stop people looking and they have people, or they have police making sure people don't stop and, you know, do video. And from my understanding, even drone footage is not allowed there. There's no fly zone. So the areas where the hotels are at, there's a bypass where they goes towards those. And there's lots of other things to do in Maui, not everything has to be in on the west side in Lahaina where it once was. There's, you know, there's Hollyocula, there's Hana, there's all the other places. Yeah, it's a massive island. This is down in the key area

and being affected by the lack of tourism. I was staying down there for a while, and you can see the streets are empty down there. Okay, we hope the tourists come back to Maui. We hope they come back to West Maui, where they're being invited to so they can help the people there and they can help the livelihoods.

Ty and John, we thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. Coming up next, the cruise ship stranded. More than 200 people trapped right now on this luxury ship that ran aground in Greenland. Why it could take days to get them. Stay with us. We are back now with Top Story's Global Watch, a check of the headlines happening around the world.

And we begin with an update on the devastating floods in eastern Libya. New satellite images just released show the coastal city of Durnah before and after a storm caused the collapse of two major dams. Entire neighborhoods wiped away, authorities saying the estimated death toll has surpassed 6,000, but thousands are still missing. And a deadly fire ripping through an apartment building. Vietnam's capital. Flames shooting out of the nine-story building, sending plumes of thick smoke into the sky above Hanoi. Local authorities say nearly 60 people were killed and more than 30 others hurt. The cause of that fire is still under investigation. And France is ordering Apple to stop the sale of the iPhone 12 in the country because of radiation concerns. Regulators saying the phone

emits electromagnetic radiation levels higher than legally allowed, the phone failed one of two tests for radiation absorption by the body. France is asking Apple to fix the malfunction, but the company disputing the ban, saying the iPhone 12 meets standards for radiation around the world. We want to stay overseas now. We head to Greenland, where a cruise ship ran aground with more than 200 people on board. Rescue crews now on their way, but officials warn that help could still be days away. Rahima Alex, Alice explains.

Tonight, failed attempts to free the Danish cruise ship, Ocean. explorer with 206 passengers and crew on board. Now, more help is on the way. The ship ran aground in a dazzling, rugged stretch of northeast Greenland National Park. Officials say low-tide Monday morning made it impossible for the ship to sail on its own. The crew reportedly offloaded the anchor, and they're floating the lifeboats to lighten the load, and one attempt to tow the ship failed. Another vessel is not expected to arrive until Friday, or Arctic Command says,

High Tide may free the ship before then. In a statement, ship authority said, all passengers, the expedition team and crew aboard are safe and well. There is no immediate danger to themselves or the surrounding environment. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Australians Gina Hill and Stephen Fraser are on board. Frazier said he and several others have contracted COVID, adding, There's a doctor on board, also saying it's a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world.

We're sitting right near the glacier when we open our window. Tonight, passengers waiting for help to set sail on the trip of a lifetime. Rahima Ellis, NBC News. No doubt a trip they will never forget. We thank Rahima for that. When we come back, concerns for singer Pesso Pluma, have you heard about this one? The Mexican superstar, the target of public death threats in Tijuana. that bear the initials of a dangerous cartel.

Will it affect the artist's upcoming concerts in the cities or shows here in the U.S.? What we know right after this? We are back now with the Americas in a major threat against Mexican breakout star, Pesso Bluma. Just hours before he made history becoming the first Mexican Regional Act to perform at the VMAs,

death threats appearing to be from one of the country's leading cartels were hung around Tijuana, which of course borders the U.S. Our Guadvanegas has the details. Tonight, Mexican superstar Bezo Pluma topping the charts, but now with a potential target on his back. Banners found early Tuesday on Bridges in Tijuana, Mexico, warning the singer not to perform at an upcoming concert in the city,

signed with the initial C.J.N.G, which belonged to the Calisco New Generation Cartel, one of the three fighting for power in the city. The banners discovered just hours before Bezo Bluma's historic performance at the VMAs in New York, even Taylor Swift dancing to his music, which in 2023 rose to the top of the charts worldwide. Oh, you were the legend. Come on, bud. There's a liner on the block. Three times there for you today. The artist becoming the first to perform Mexican regional music on the Tonight Show. And selling out shows across Mexico in the U.S., and in May, Pezzo Bluma telling top story his music was transcending languages.

We are surprised that our music is getting to the global charts as number one. But his earlier hits include lyrics about the Sinaloa cartel and its former leader El Chapo Guzman, the biggest rival of the Halisco New Generation Cartel. authorities say they are working to confirm if the cartel is in fact responsible for the banners. And in the next days, Tijuana mayor, Montserrat Caballero, says an investigation led by state authorities will determine if Bezo Bluma's upcoming concert is canceled. Just months ago, Mexican band Group Arrizgado, who also have lyrics glorifying the Sinaloa cartel, canceled the show in Tijuana after they too received death threats. In an event days before, gunshots could be heard as they signed autographs for fans.

And in the early 90s, singer-songwriter Chalino Sanchez, who was an early pioneer of the Narco Corridor genre, was shot and killed hours after a concert in Sinaloa, where he was famously passed a note on stage. No one has ever been arrested for his murder. Besu Pluma's concerts outside of Chicago and in Indianapolis scheduled for this weekend have been postponed or canceled. It's unclear if it's connected to the threats. NBC News reached out to Beza Pluma and his team who have not addressed the issue or responded with comment. Okay, with that, Gwad joins us tonight from Miami. So, Gwad, one of the officials in your story there said they are working to investigate

if the cartel is really behind this or if it's the work of someone who is simply not a fan. But you've covered the cartels for years now. Do you think someone would really play a game like that using the name of a cartel? Wouldn't that be dangerous? It would, Tom. The cartels use banners like these, and they hang them in public areas to send death for it. So this is a very common way for cartels to operate. But we never know.

There is a possibility that someone else could have hung those banners. You can also imagine perhaps a rival cartel could have hung those banners to get the attention off of them and perhaps on that cartel. Tijuana is a city with three cartels fighting for power, so there's just no way to know. But local authorities, Tom, did say that they detained one individual that they say is connected to the hanging of those banners. So they think that investigation is going to move forward in the next few days. And then Guad, remind us, has a cartel ever moved on a high-profile target, whether it be an entertainer or a politician inside of the U.S.? Well, Tom, here's what we know. We know that there have been death threats against Mexican artists in the past that have been linked to cartels.

A lot of these have resulted with the killing of these artists in Mexico. Some of these artists lived in the United States, went to Mexico, and they were killed in Mexico. Now, we have not seen that happen in the United States, but, Tom, we have to know, cartels like the Sinaloa cartel and this cartel, Halisco Nueva Generation, they operate in the United States. They have a presence in different states. So, of course, anyone who receives a threat by any of the cartels in Mexico would probably want to be very careful in the United States, where the cartels have not assassinated an artist, but do have a presence.

Tom. Guad vanegas explaining it all for us tonight, Guad, we appreciate your reporting. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.