Transcripts For WRC NBC Nightly News 20150306

Is nbc nightly news. Reporting tonight, lester holt. Good evening. We begin with a terrifying close call here in new york today when a Delta Airlines jet landing in the middle of a snowstorm careened off the runway and came within feet of sliding into the icy waters of fleshing bay. It happened late thi laguardia airport. Thankfully the passengers and crew all escaped alive despite the plane suffering significant damage. The airport was closed for hours, flights disrupted. Tonight, as we take a live look at the plane still off the edge of the runway, the ntsb is on the scene. The questions have begun starting with the runway conditions at the time and what the pilot was told. Tom costello is working the story for us. He has late details. Reporter amateur video from inside delta flight 1086 as crew members and firefighters helped passengers escape. We dont have a slide. I just survived a plane crash. Reporter the md88 with 132 people on board had careened off the runway, up an embankment and crashed through a fence. Its nose flushing bay. The first word that the plane was in trouble came from ground crews who radioed the tower. Tower, you copy . Car 100. Runway 13 is closed. Car 100, you saun is closed . Affirmative, 13 is closed. Car 100, say again . Please advise crash rescue. Laguardia airport is closed at this time. Reporter flight 1086 was coming in from atlanta landing on laguardias 13 in snow and icy fog. Suddenly about twothirds of the way down the runway the plane veered to the left. Only an embankment and fence kept it from going into the freezing water. Hes leaking fuel on the left side of his aircraft heavily. You said leaking fuel . Affirm. His wing is ruptured. Reporter nbcs ste gosk talked to allie clark sitting in the emergency row. He says are you ready and prepared to help people out of the plane . I absol so you were follo there were little kids on board. There were. There were a couple parents traveling with their kids. Everybody took great care of everybody getting off the plane. Reporter airport managers say the runway had been plowed just prior to the accident and only four minutes earlier other pilots reported no difficulty landing. Approximately 11 05 two planes landed and reported good braking action on the runways. Reporter but laguardias short runways can be challenging in the best of conditions. Pilots have to be concerned about getting the airplane down in the first third of the runway. They want it planted solidly especially on a slick or wet runway. They dont have a lot of margin of error. Reporter two dozen people suffered minor injuries. The ntsb will be looking at runway conditions, where it touched down, its speed, braking at the time. This comes 23 years after a u. S. Airplane crashed while taking off in a snowstorm at laguardia. 27 people died when the plane went into the water. Thankfully today no one was killed. Lester. Tom costello, while that was playing out in new york another major story still developing this hour related to this same storm that stretches far across the country. Its dropped feet of snow in a lot of places just not used to it including the state of kentucky where a nightmare is playing out right now on a major highway. People trapped in cars for 18 hours. Some still waiting to be rescued. Nbcs john yang reports on an epic traffic jam more than 30 miles long on i65 south of louisville. Reporter denise was one of the hundreds of drivers stranded for more than 15 hours on i65 in northern kentucky. There has been no assistance with food. Theres been no assistance with water. So i have been melting ice and snow to drink. Reporter nearly 20 inches of snow fell fast across the state piling up quickly. Sydney miller and her mom forced to spend the night in her car. We had no idea really what was going on. Nothing through the radio telling us there was a crash or anything. We just kept getting woken up through the night by just these strange noises. That was a little difficult. Reporter 2 rescued by the national guard. Many taken to red cross Warming Centers in nearby communities. People took to social media looking for answers. Does anyone have any updates on how much longer . Going on 13 hours some people are hitchhiking now. A crew from the louisville nbc affiliate found dozens of abandoned vehicles on roads as they drove toward i65. Elsewhere was a slippery morning commute from maryland to texas where dallas highways were littered with spinouts. Slick patches of ice everywhere. Reporter across the midwest the snow piled up even higher. 25 inches near radcliff, kentucky. 15. 5 inches in kennett, missouri. And 14. 5 near wheelersburg, ohio. And in washington children and parents took to capitol hill despite a ban on sledding to enjoy the snow day. As you can see in this live shot from the helicopter they have now opened two of the three lanes in that area. Traffic moving very slowly. And there are still many abandoned cars waiting to be reclaimed. Lester. All right, john. Good to see things moving at least. Janice huff is in the weather center. Janice, what are we looking at now . Well, lester, that same storm that brought the record snowfall to the ohio valley moved in over the northeast today and brought seven inches of snowfall to new york city. I want to show you this High Resolution satellite image from noaa taken from a few thousand miles above in space. And this was tropical moisture that came not only from the gulf of mexico but the pacific streaming through the southern states, through the ohio valley and into the northeast. Well, now that snow is moving out of the northeast for tonight. Its going to be very cold across much of the northeast and the great lakes through tonight. As a matter of fact, windchills are already below zero around green bay and duluth. And theyll go even further down towards cincinnati, louisville and d. C. In the morning. Minus 15 to minus 20 degrees is expected. Back to you, lester. All right, janice huff, thank you. The u. S. Ambassador to south korea, mark lippert, a longtime friend of president obama, remains hospitalized in seoul tonight. Hes recovering after being attacked by a man with a knife. A lot of questions tonight about security and how did the attacker get so close. Our senior White House Correspondent Chris Jansing has more for us. Reporter the violent attack with a 10inch knife just as about ambassador lippert was about to give a talk on peace. Im bleeding here. I need an ambulance fast. Reporter with deep slashes across his face, arm and hand, lippert was rushed to the hospital. His security detail was small, not unusual in this city considered low risk. While the u. S. Embassy is guarded by u. S. Marines, hes guarded by south korean security and local police. And they will work handinglove to make sure theyre getting to the bottom of what happened here, what might have gone wrong. Reporter the suspect was known to police with a history of violence. Korean officials promise stern punishment for those who failed to protect lippert. Lippert is close to the president. He started working for him when obama was still a senator and then joined the administration before becoming a diplomat last fall. Secretary of state john kerry called the decorated iraq war veteran as tough as they come. Lippert walked into the hospital, but doctors say the knife just missed his jugular. After two hours in surgery and 80 stitches, it will be months before he recovers full use of his finger. Today, South Koreans held a rally of support. Hes popular here. He and his wife gave their first child a korean name. And he tweeted his appreciation today saying, doing well and in great spirits. Will be back asap. The South Koreans have stepped up security around the ambassador, but they believe the suspect acted alone. And currently theres no indication the incident will Impact Security at other u. S. Embassies. President obama who spoke to ambassador lippert before he went into surgery, is being regularly updated on the investigation. Lester. Chris, thank you. Hillary clinton has responded to the controversy over her private email which she used exclusively as secretary of state instead of an official government account. Shes now asking the state department to release those emails, but that doesnt mean the public will see them any time soon. Nbcs Andrea Mitchell explains why. Reporter hillary c finally responded. In 140 characters. A tweet just before midnight saying, i want the public to see my email. I asked state to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible. 55,000 pages of email she turned over to the state Department Last year. Officials say it could take months to decide what involves National Security and what can be made public. In saudi arabia, john kerry, who uses government email, sounded impatient about the fuss. Let me check on actually have time to Pay Attention to such an important issue when i get home. Reporter clintons tweet left a lot unanswered. How many more emails are there . Why should she decide what goes to the government . And why did she create a private email system registered to her chappaqua home in the first place . A possible clue this comment in 2001. [ inaudible ] no, no. Reporter but her desire for secrecy has sparked subpoenas from the republicanled House Committee investigating benghazi. And worries for democrats. Some democrats including many who are big, big supporters of her are worried that there might be something else. Reporter john mccain, who says he thinks this is serious, doesnt even use email. Im afraid that if i was emailing given my solid always calm temperment that i might email something that i might regret. Reporter democratic strategists do worry this feeds the unflattering narrative that the clintons are too secretive. Advisers say the problem is her campaign hasnt launched yet and isnt set up to handle this kind of controversy. Lester. Andrea mitchell tonight, thank you. Lots of emotion in boston today where the bombing trial pushed forward today. The defense has flatly admitted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is guilty, the prosecution is laying out the horror of the crimes in detail. And giving those who suffered the most a chance to confront the man charged with taking so much from them. Nbcs Peter Alexander was at the court today. Reporter on that gorgeous spring day nearly two years ago, pure terror. In that instant jeff boweman lost both legs. He remembered thinking this is how its going to end. I had a great life. Testifying in court today he recalled locking eyes with one of the bombers moments before the explosion. He wasnt watching the race. I thought it was weird. He later described Tamerlan Tsarnaev from his hospital bed. A major break leading to the release of this video. Today prosecutors showed jurors video the second bombing showing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev placing his backpack bomb and walking away. 8yearold Martin Richard was killed. His father described, when i saw martins condition i knew he wasnt going to make it. It was at that time i saw my son basically for the last time. Mr. Richard lost some hearing that day, but he said i can still hear the beautiful voices of my family. While Dzhokhar Tsarnaev seems detached in court, his trial is stirring raw emotions. Rebekah gregory posted this letter to tsarnaev overnight. Hours after testifying against him. In the face and realized i wasnt afraid anymore. So now while youre sitting in solitary confinement awaiting the verdict on your life, i will be actually enjoying everything this beautiful world has to offer. Reporter she says shes closer than ever to her son noah who survived with minor injuries. It is painful because at that moment i was completely helpless as a mother. I could do nothing for my son. Reporter yall live in houston, but hes clearly boston strong. Yes. In every sense of the word boston strong. Reporter Peter Alexander, nbc news, boston. A High School Student from the suburbs of washington, d. C. Is in federal custody tonight accused of helping another young man slip into syria to join isis. Authorities say hes just the latest to be lured by jihadist propaganda on the internet. We get more from our justice correspondent pete williams. Reporter Officials Say a 17yearold from this neighborhood in woodbridge, virginia, about 25 miles south of washington, d. C. , helped an 18yearold get to syria to join up with isis fighters. Experts call it the latest example of a young person radicalized by internet propaganda. The message thats being put out there is attractive to people who are just forming identity or who have identity issues. That could be someone who is a little older and is thinking am i american or really muslim or what am i . Reporter the 17yearold whose name hasnt been released because hes a juvenile was released to return home. An internal bullet propaganda likely influenced a virginiabased youth to create, produce and disseminate violent extremist messaging via social media. Authorities say the student who attended this high school used the internet to make travel arrangements and to find isis contacts stopping people from getting to syria and tracking them when they come back has become a priority for the justice department. As the attorney general told us last week. I think o months or so we have convicted 25 people or so. We probably have hundreds, you know, under some kind of surveillance. Reporter federal Officials Say theyre now working on prosecuting the student as an adult and filing terrorism support charges against the 18yearold headed for syria. Pete williams, nbc news, washington. This report coming on the air tonight we got late word that actor Harrison Ford has been seriously injured in a plane crash in california. Ford was flying in a vintage world war ii training plane when something caused it to drop out of the sky and came crashing down onto a golf course below. Sources tell nbc news that ford was stabilized. He was taken to a hospital. He did suffer cuts to his head and possible fractures. There is no word yet on what caused that crash. Its a busy thursday night. A lot of news ahead including a huge surprise at the greatest show on earth. Act under the big top. Also, a hot seller in one of the coldest places in the country. A pair of inspiring best friends and a very good reason to stand outside for hours in the snow. Outside for hours in the s oh yea, thats coming down lets get some rocks, man. Health can change in a minute. So cvs health is changing healthcare. Making it more accessible and affordable with walkin medical care, no appointments needed and most insurance accepted. Minuteclinic. Another innovation from cvs health. Because health is everything. Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. Wvo caring for someone with alzheimers means i am a lot of things. I am his guardian. I am his voice. So i asked about adding oncedaily namenda xr to his Current Treatment for moderate to severe alzheimers. It works differently. When added to another alzheimers treatment, like aricept® it may improve overall function and cognition. And may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. Vo namenda xr doesnt change how the disease progresses. It shouldnt be taken by anyone allergic to memantine, or whos had a bad reaction to namenda xr or its ingredients. Before starting treatment, tell their doctor if they have or ever had a seizure disorder difficulty passing urine liver, kidney, or bladder problems, and about any medications theyre taking. Certain medications, changes in diet, or medical conditions may affect the amount of namenda xr in the body. And may increase side effects. The most common side effects. Are headache, diarrhea and dizziness. Wvo all my life hes protected me. Now i am giving back. Ask their doctor about adding. Oncedaily namenda xr. Fact. When you take advil you get relief right at the site of pain. Wherever it is. Advil stops pain right where it starts. Relief doesnt get any better than this. Advil. Were back now with that big change coming to the circus. Ringling brothers and barnum and bailey made a surprising announcement today. It will begin to phase out one of its fixtures and by 2018 will no longer use elephants in its show. Our national c snow has this report. Reporter theyve been one of the star attractions for the entire 145 years that the ringling brothers circus has been in business. But now it will retire the 13 elephants that are still part of the show. Consumer sentiment has changed somewhat. We feel that they dont want to see elephants traveling. Reporter Animal Rights groups say the decision shows how much attitudes towards animals are changing. Its really like a berlin wall moment in Animal Welfare. I think weve reached a Tipping Point in our society when regular people said, hey, i like the circus, i like to be entertained but not at this price. Not if elephants have to be trained for 22 hours a day. Reporter there are literally thousands of youtube videos accusing the circus of abuse like this peta video narrated by alec baldwin apparently showing baby elephants in training. They scream, struggle while they are forced into the painful positions necessary. Reporter the ringling brothers spokespeople have longdenied mistreating animals. In 2011 its Parent Company reached a settlement with the u. S. Government paying a fine for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare act. Ringling brothers says its decision was driven in part by a growing number of local ordinances that prevent circuses with exotic animals from coming to town. By 2018 the circus will keep the elephants at its center for conservation in florida. We can keep our r there and we dont have to fight legislation cropping up in different cities. Reporter the show will go on with other wild animals, but not its fiveton stars. 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That dares to work all the way until. [birds chirping] the am. New aleve pm. Its the first to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. For pain relief that can last all the way until morning. New aleve pm, for a better am. If your winters been anything like ours, its a perfect night for a cup of hot chocolate, the ultimate comfort food. Its become the ultimate expression of friendship between two little boys in colorado when one of them faced the greatest challenge of his young life. With help from our denver affiliate kusa, we get the story tonight from nbcs joe fryer. Reporter denver in the winter is no place for a lemonade stand. This is really cold right now. Reporter which is why 8yearold triston is selling hot cocoa, a buck a cup. Two bucks if you like marshmallows. Could i have hot cocoa with the five marshmallows . Okay. Reporter with such low temps, investment analysts might scowl at such an icy escapade. It can be very tough. Reporter until they hear his real business plan. My friend kade, he had cancer. Reporter hes talking about his buddy diagnosed with brain cancer. After surgery, chemo, radiation and a bone marrow transplant, theres now no sign of kades disease. Childrens hospital saved his life. So now im trying to sponsor it even more. Reporter as word of tristons ongoing fundraiser has spread, donations have grown. This week he gave 400 to Childrens Hospital colorado, and more money is still coming in. His parents are not surprised. Its pretty much triston, thats just the way he is. Reporter in this frozen neighborhood, it is not the hot cocoa that will warm your heart. I want to just save some lives. Reporter its the salesman. Hot chocolate for sale. Reporter joe fryer, nbc news. Now, thats a friend. Thats going to do it for us on this thursday night. Im lester holt. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a good night. Lights, camera, access. Kelly clarkson is a chunky monkey. Youre looking to blame me for fat shaming people. You just admitted the comments are offensive. So the discussion gets heated. Well tell you how