quote, it felt like armageddon. the lead starts right now. a new baby, one of the thousands of innocent people killed earlier today in that catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked turkey and syria. the scramble to reach the people buried alive beneath crumbles buildings. then, we re learning more about china s suspected spy balloon shot down over the united states, including the concern that it may have had explosives onboard. plus, arrests in a neo-nazi plot to completely destroy an american city by targeting electrical substations. the details coming up on the wild conspiracy. welcome to the lead, i m jake tapper. we start today with our world lead. the frantic search for survivors after the devastating earthquake that so far has killed more than 3,400 people. a number that tragically continues to grow, seemingly every hour. the earthquake striking turkey and syria earlier this morning. powerful aftershocks complicating the rescue efforts, making things
announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening, and thank with us. official assurances that all is safe near the site of that ohio toxic train derailment aren t playing well with many area residents tonight, not with people experiencing physical symptoms and fish dying by the thousands in nearby streams. it has been almost two weeks since the train jumped the tracks in eastern ohio near the pennsylvania border spilling tanker cars carrying hazardous chemicals. after a controlled burn meant to avert a catastrophic explosion, officials signaled it was safe for evacuated residents to return, but tonight there is worry, skepticism, and anger about what is really happening and about what people are being told ron allen is covering it for us tonight. reporter: tonight outrage growing less than two weeks after that massive train derailment and the controlled burn of hazardous chemicals sent up a toxic plume of black smoke in east palestine, ohio. it doe
her attorney says school officials ignored. our nbc news reporting. the concerned texts the teacher sent to a loved one just before the shooting. the major winter storm moving into the northeast after a tornado outbreak left a trail of destruction farther south. al roker is here. president biden reversing course, now pledging the u.s. will send 31 abrams tanks to ukraine. so, what changed? just in, two years after he was suspended, facebook lifting its ban on donald trump. the dramatic video, a man with a long gun shooting up at a police helicopter. and the team of 25 performing a medical miracle for two infant twins. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening, and one of the country s most closely watched criminal cases today south carolina prosecutors began laying out their double murder case against alex murdaugh, prominent attorney and patriarch of a powerful charleston area family accused of murdering his wife and 22-year-old son.
remarks later today. we ll look at what this means for russia s invasion. overnight reports of tornado ripping through parts of texas and louisiana as the severe weather moves to the northeast leaving behind a trail of destruction. and new questions about the security of our nation s secrets after a classified documents were discovered at former vice president mike pence s private home in indiana. in monterey park, california, the community now mourning the 11 innocent lives lost at the ballroom dance studio. vice president harris is now expected to meet with grieving family this is afternoon. a suspect in another shooting in half-moon bay is set to appear in court today. we ll ask california congressman about what can be done to stop gun violence. we begin with major developments in the war in ukraine. in about two hours, president biden is expected to deliver remarks on ukraine as nbc news was the first to report the administration is preparing to send tanks to uk
possession, and i i remain confident that that was done in a thorough and careful way. uh-oh. now it s mike pence. and his lawyers. got to be hard. i said it can t be that hard. it s hard. can t anybody play this game? what you ve got to be asking. well mike pence s lawyers are explaining how classified material ended up at the former vice president s home. more on the timeline and the response from pence s team in just a moment. also ahead speaker kevin mccarthy again rewards marjorie taylor greene. this time with placement on a subcommittee investigating the coronavirus. mtg previously had been kicked off social media platforms for spreading covid misinformation. great. plus, a special grand jury s report on efforts to overturn the 2020 election by former president trump and his allieses. it will stay sealed for now, but the d.a. is promising imminent action in the case. good morning to morning joe. it s wednesday january 25th. with us host of way too