Transcripts For KNTV NBC 20240704

Hur defending his yearlong investigation and saying he did not exonerate the president. Democrats blasting hur for disparaging President Bidens memory in his report. Republicans demanding to know why he ultimately chose not to charge the president. Our team at the capitol. Also this evening, the massive explosion destroying a home in pennsylvania. Two people killed. What caused it. The whistleblower who raised Safety Concerns about boeing found dead. What authorities are saying. It comes as we learn new details about that boeing plane flying from australia that suddenly plunged in midair. The white house announcing 300 million in new weapons for ukraine despite the gridlock in congress. Where is the money coming from . Haiti in chaos. The Prime Minister saying hell resign after armed gangs overrun the capitol. So who is in charm charge now . Inside the crackdown on retail theft. The mansion police say is the headquarters of the ring Selling Stolen Goods on amazon. And months after i spoke with his father, we finally learn what happened to a 19yearold israeliamerican soldier believed kidnapped by hamas. Announcer this is Nbc Nightly News with lester holt. Good evening and welcome. The Special Counsel who headed the investigation into President Bidens handling of classified documents stepped into the middle of a partisan firestorm today. Robert hur buffeted from both sides as he testified before the House Judiciary Committee for several hours. And defending his decision not to prosecute the president , despite finding he willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his Vice Presidency when he was a private citizen. The Special Counsel also explaining why in his final report, he described the president as an elderly man with a poor memory. Democrats accusing hur of a political motivation. What both republicans and democrats sought to draw contrast between the Biden Investigation and the criminal charges former President Donald Trump currently faces. Hur telling the panel in the case of President Biden, he did not identify evidence that rose to the level of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Also tonight, transcripts made public of hurs interview with the president are offering new insight into the investigation. Our Gabe Gutierrez has this report. Reporter tonight, the firestorm over President Bidens handling of classified documents is reigniting. You exonerated him. I did not con on the exonerate mr. Hur, its my time. Reporter Special Counsel robert hur, A Trump Appointed Special Attorney identifying new charges. We identified evidence that the president willfully retained classified materials after the end of his Vice President it is. We did not find evidence that rose to a level of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Reporter hur defended including damaging details about President Bidens mental acuity, including that the 81yearold president had diminished faculties and would present himself to a jury as a man with a poor memory. I did not sanitize my explanation. Reporter but hur was drilled by both republicans joe biden broke the law. Because shea forgetful old man who would appear sympathetic to a jury, mr. Hur chose not to bring charges. And democrats. You chose a general pejorative reference to the president. You understood when you made that decision, didnt you, mr. Hur, that you would ignite a political firearm storm with that language, didnt you . Congressman, politics played no part whatsoever. Reporter hur testified President Biden could not remember what year he was president or when his son died. The president said he was outraged hur asked him about his son. Frankly, when i was asked the question, i thought to myself it wasnt any of their damn business. Reporter but the transcript of hurs interview released today confirmed it was the president himself who brought up his sons death, as nbc previously reported. The president asked what month did beau die . Oh, god, may 30th and others respond 2015. The president then asks was it 2015 he died . Reporter why did the president say it was robert hur who brought up his sons death when the transcript shows otherwise . The transcript clearly shows that the president was being asked by the Special Counsel about the book that he wrote about his sons unfortunate untimely passing. Reporter classified documents were found in President Bidens old offices, his delaware home and his garage. All were returned. Democrats today comparing the case to former president trump, whos pleaded not guilty to criminal charges for allegedly mishandling documents. Hur writing while trump was given multiple chances to return the documents, he allegedly did the opposite and enlisted overs to destroy evidence. The desperate quest to invent an issue as a distraction from the 91 federal and state federal charges that donald trump faces now. Reporter according to hurs report, President Biden shared classified material with his ghost writer, though the president disputes that. Republicans say his motives included an 8 million book advance. It wasnt just 8 million. It was also his ego. Pride and money is why he knowingly violated the rules. You agree with that, mr. Hur . That language does appear in the report, and we did identify evidence supporting those assessments. All right, gabe joining me now. Gabe, the Special Counsel says he did not exonerate the president. So how is the white house responding to that tonight . Lester, the white house says this is case closed. Republicans are now asking for an Audio Recording of the president s interview to be released. But white house says the transcript was enough. Lester . Gabe gutierrez starting us off, thank you. In pennsylvania, a neighborhood shaken after a deadly home explosion killed at least two people near pittsburgh. Emilie ikeda on the investigation tonight. Reporter tonight, officials in Western Pennsylvania are investigating what caused a massive explosion that killed a man and woman and obliterated this home. The shell of a basement is all that remains. Im on the scene. Ive got a house on the ground, completely on the ground. Reporter it happened just before 9 00 a. M. The blast caught on Surveillance Video sending debris soaring above the tree line and damaging several nearby homes. Witnesses felt its force across the river and miles away. It sounded like a bomb went off. Everything was in a rubble. Reporter the Fire Department sits just down the hill from the explosion site. We all felt and heard the explosion instantly. We did a quick search trying to find the occupants. Unfortunately, we were able to find two deceased occupants. Reporter the son of the victims identifying the couple to nbc news as david and helen mitchell. The deadly incident comes exactly seven months since another Allegheny County House Explosion that killed six people. While no cause has been pinpointed in the latest tragedy, Officials Say there was a private gas well and Propane Tanks at the home. The department of environmental protection, atf and Fire Marshall now investigating the devastating explosion thats left this community shaken. Emilie ikeda, nbc news. Now to boeing in the spotlight. A whistleblower who raised Safety Concerns found dead. Authorities saying he took his own life. It comes as we learn new details about a Terrifying Midair Drop involving a boeing plane. Here is tom costello. Reporter the focus for investigators, that Terrifying Nosedive off new zealand that injured dozens. Passengers say the latam pilot claimed he suddenly lost control of the boeing 787 when the flight Data Computers went dark. In 2016, the faa issued an Airworthiness Directive for the 787, warning that if the Flight Control computers are not reset every 22 days, they could shut themselves down, which could result in Flight Controls that dont respond and a temporary loss of controllability. Investigators will look at whether the airplane was completely depowered at one point in the last three weeks. Reporter meanwhile, two months since that midair max 9 emergency, sources close to the Investigation Say Boeing has failed 33 of 89 faa audits. The faa confirming it identified noncompliance issues in boeings manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control. If we see something that requires us to cease production or close something down, well do that. Reporter in an email, boeings chief of commercial planes today called on every employee to precisely follow every step of our Manufacturing Procedures and processes, while in South Carolina a coroner says former boeing whistleblower john barnett took his own life before his upcoming trial against the company. In 2019, barnett told Nbc News Boeing was putting profits ahead of safety. From day one, its all been about scheduling, hurry up, get it done, push the planes out. Reporter in a statement, boeing says we are saddened by mr. Barnetts passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends. Under intense scrutiny, the company today called on every employee to be on the lookout for safety or quality issues and speak up. Lester . Tom, thank you. In a surprise move, the white house today announcing a new 300 million Weapons Package for ukraine. This despite the gridlock thats kept congress from passing new ukraine aid for months. Pentagon Officials Say they were able to come up with the money through savings on longterm contracts with weapon makers. Also tonight, haitis Prime Minister announcing he will step down as armed gangs rampage in the capital. We get more from andrea mitchell. Reporter with criminal gangs overrunning his country, haitian Prime Minister ariel henry agreeing to step down as soon as the Transitional Governing Council is created. His resignation under pressure after a Crisis Meeting Secretary Of State tony blinken held with caribbean leaders in jamaica late into the night. A political crisis, escalating violence, unrest. This has created an untenable situation for the haitian people. Reporter henry is widely blamed for the worst turmoil in haitis long troubled history. Gangs attacking police stations, breaking prisoners out of jail, leaving the poor and thousands displaced. Theyre selling their stuff to survive. And Security Crisis has turned into a humanitarian crisis. Reporter henry has denied a judges report he helped the plot the assassination of haitis president in 2021. He promised to hold elections, but never did. A u. S. Special envoy in haiti quit to protest u. S. Policy there. What do you think is the critical problem . We have never let them choose their leaders. The u. S. Needs to give them space. Just one time. Thats all theyre asking. Reporter in floridas haitianamerican community, terry isaac is desperate to rescue his wife and 6monthold baby with a Heart Condition. Not knowing whether or not those guys are eventually going to pop up in your neighborhood and start shooting people and start doing crazy things. Reporter the u. N. Voted last year pretending to lead a Multinational Force to restore order, but kenya says it wont go in until haiti has a new government. Lester . Andrea mitchell, thank you. Now to the Supreme Court and the small city in oregon that is about to become a focal point for how cities nationwide can handle homelessness. Liz kreutz investigates. Reporter grants pass, oregon, population 40,000. A small city dealing with a big problem. God, look at that. Reporter over the past two decades, as outsiders moved in, Housing Costs went up, forcing a growing number of people on to the streets. Whats it like to be homeless in grants pass . Its an absolute nightmare. Reporter helen cruz, who was homeless here for five years, feels strict anticamping ordinances, including fines for sleeping in any public space, violated her constitutional rights, the 8 amendment cruel and unusual punishment. I had probably at least 6,000 to 8,000 in fines. No. In tickets, yes. Reporter but the flip side Officials Say is a city dotted with tents. Our city deserves to have the ability to hold people accountable to bad behavior. And ultimately, our citizenry cannot utilize park spaces. Reporter a heated legal battle has now dragged on for years. And now the final decision is in the hands of the Supreme Court. Whats happening here in grants pass is a microcosm for an issue playing out in communities big and small across the country. And ultimately, how the u. S. Supreme court rules in this case could determine how cities nationwide can navigate their homeless crisis. California governor gavin newsom is among a number of democratic lawmakers taking the more conservative side of this issue. And in an unexpected political twist, hoping the current conservative Supreme Court will side with them too. Newsoms office petitioning to the court on behalf of grants pass, adding arguing that banning anticamping ordinances has paralyzed cities like los angeles and san francisco, effectively blocking them from moving people off public streets. These Court Decisions have really tied cities hands, and theyve frozen in place the status quo which is truly unacceptable. Reporter but ed johnson, who represents grants pass homeless residents say lawmakers like newsom are deflecting blame and siding with the city amid political reasons amid pressure from voters fed up with homelessness. If the Supreme Court sides with the city of grants pass, what does that mean for other cities, los angeles, san francisco, portland . Well, those cities arent trying to do what grants pass is trying to do. Grants pass wants to make it illegal on every inch of property 24 hours a day. The problem is if thats allowed, many cities will simply try to run all of the Homeless People out of their community. And they have to go somewhere. Reporter for helen, who now cleans homes and lives at this church, the fear of the upcoming Supreme Court ruling is overwhelming. I dont even want to think about it. The kind of uncertainty that nobody wants. Reporter a nowin solution when there is limited housing and nowhere to go. Liz kreutz, nbc news, grants pass, oregon. In just 60 seconds, the big battle over tiktok. Lawmakers in washington on the eve of a critical vote. Could they end up banning the popular app nationwide . Doctor gave me breztri for my copd things changed for me. Breztri gave me better breathing, symptom improvement, and reduced flareups. Breztri wont replace a Rescue Inhaler for sudden breathing problems. It is not for asthma. Tell your doctor if you have a Heart Condition or high Blood Pressure before taking it. Dont take breztri more than prescribed. Breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. Call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. Ask your doctor about breztri. No two bodies are the same. Some pads, never got that message. But, always flexfoam did it protects against different flows for up to zero leaks. And it flexes to fit all bodies, for up to zero feel. Feel it yourself with always flexfoam. Were back now with a Pivotal Moment in congress with the house set to vote tomorrow on a bill that could lead to a Ban On Tiktok in the u. S. Savannah sellers is on capitol hill for us tonight. Whats the latest, savannah . Reporter lester, the lead sponsors of this bill tell me they are cautiously optimistic that they have the twothirds vote majority they need. After all, it passed out of committee with a rare 500 bipartisan vote. Now the bill would force tiktok to divest from Chinese Parent Company bytedance within six months or face a possible ban in the u. S. But today, lester, i have been talking to creators that tiktok brought here to capitol hill. They say this bill would decimate their Small Businesses and infringe on their right to free speech. If the house does vote it through, this bill could face a tougher climb in the senate where some leaders have expressed concerns about taking action against an app that 170 million americans seem to enjoy. Lester . Savannah sellers, thank you. Were back in a moment with an eyeopening look at retail crime, and how goods stolen from Store Shelves end up for sale online. At you can feel it when your dream becomes a pursuit. And with vitiligo, the pursuit for your pigment is no exception. Its time you had a proven choice to help restore whats yours. Opzelura is the first and only fdaapproved Prescription Treatment for Nonsegmental Vitiligo proven to help repigment skin over time. Restoring whats yours. Its possible with a steroidfree cream that you can apply yourself. Opzelura can lower your ability to fight infections including tb or hepatitis b or c. Serious lung infections, skin cancer, blood clots, and low blood cell counts occurred with opzelura. In people taking jak inhibitors, serious infections, increased risk of death, lymphoma, other cancers, and major cardiovascular events have occurred. The most common side effects were acne and itching where applied. Repigmentation is possible. 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Police believe its also the headquarters for a lucrative theft ring that steals items from Ulta Beauty Supply and other retailers and resales them on amazon. As we pull up, authorities tell us they have the suspected ring leader in handcuffs. Her name is michelle mack. And according to the search warrant, she is accused of giving a dozen women across the Country A List of stores and merchandise to target. These ulta Beauty Products then ending up on an Amazon Digital storefront called the Online Makeup store at deep discounts. The next morning a team from ulta unloads the haul along with chp officers. 387,000 in stolen items. I think people feel like its hopeless. I want the retailers and the victims of this to know that thats not true. Reporter for months, we got exclusive access through the california Highway Patrol, watching up close how it fights organized retail crime. Retailers specifically pointing to theft as a growing problem in recent years, includes target, foot locker, walgreens and ulta. Were absolutely fed up. Reporter ultas ceo dave kimball spoke to us in an exclusive interview about the issue. What do you think in this case as were speaking of in california that amazon could have done to know that these were stolen goods . What i would say more broadly is there is technology available. There is use of advanced analytics and data capabilities to try to understand behaviors that are indicative of reSelling Stolen Goods. Reporter amazon declined an on camera interview, but spokesperson said we invest more than 1 billion annually and employ thousands of people to fight fraud, adding it uses sophisticated detection and prevention solutions. As for michelle mack, shes plead not guilty to charges of conspiracy, grand theft, and receipt of stolen property. Her husband and seven others connected to the ring were also charged and plead not guilty. For nbc news, courtney reagan, bonsall, california. And next for us tonight, for months they have waited for their american son to be released by hamas. Tonight, two parents shocking news. [ s. Serene music playing ] welcome to the wayborhood. The wayfair vibe at our place is western. My thing, darling . Shine. Gardening. Some of us go for the dramatic. How didnt i know wayfair had vanities in tile . [ gasps ] this. Wow do you have any ottomans without legs. Sure. Youll flip for the poof cart. In the wayborhood, theres a place for all of us. Wayfair. Every style. Every home. A year after a heart attack, mikes feeling like himself again. But even though time has passed, his risk of a Second Attack hasnt. Mike is still living in the re. With a very high risk of another heart attack or stroke. He doesnt know with his risk factors his ldlc bad cholesterol is still too high the recommended level is below 55. Are you living in the red . Get in the know. 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If you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. Tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems, Mental Health concerns and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. Some of the most common side effects include injectionsite reactions, fever, and tiredness. With cabenuva, youre good to go. Ask your doctor about switching. Finally, after finally, after months thinking he was a hostage, the parents of itay chen learned their son was a victim of hamas op october 7th. The american israeli now mourned here and abroad. For the past 158 days, the family of American Itay Chen believed their son was being held by hamas, that he had been kidnapped while he defended israel on october 7th. Hamas terrorists murdered 1200 people that day. Tonight, his parents saying theyve now learned itay was among them. Our hearts are broken, they wrote. We would have done anything to bring him home alive. Lester, you have kids . I do. You know where they slept last night . We dont. Now think about that this second. Reporter i spoke with Family Members of missing Americans Last november, including itais father, ruby. We decided with the help of others to create this star that basically says bring them home now english, and in hebrew, it says i left my heart in gaza. Itays parents remembering their son as a bright light for his family and friends who Loved Basketball And Shooting Hoops with his brothers. My family is a holocaust survivor. What happened on october 7th is the holocaust all over again. Hamas is Still Holding over 100 hostages, at least five americans among them. Itays father often pictured holding an hourglass, writing, we have come to know all the families who are waiting for their loved ones, and we will not stop working until every single hostage comes home. A Group Brought together by a nightmare is united in mourning. And thats nightly news for this tuesday. Thank you for watching. Im lester holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night. What is in this abandoned tinker . The hazmat concern that shut down the neighborhood for hours today