minister benjamin netanyahu meeting today in new york. the potentially historic peace deal they discussed and why the meeting place itself caused controversy. the recall on thousands of cases of kraft singles, the potential choking danger and the incredible images harry smith on the spectacular show in the sky. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening, everyone the nation's top law enforcement official, attorney general merrick garland, traveled to capitol hill today where he faced a gauntlet of tough questions and accusations, much of it centered on whether his office has put a thumb on the scale in the special counsel investigation of president biden's son, hunter garland testified in a contentious hearing before the house judiciary committee. republicans pressing him on whether garland has meddled with the work of special counsel, david weiss, who was handling the hunter biden case. biden was recently charged with three gun-related counts garland also facing questions about the indictments of former president donald trump, and republican claims that the indictments were politically motivated. garland telling the hearing, no one has told me to indict, insisting the decisions were made by special counsel jack smith. it's where we start tonight with ryan nobles >> reporter: tonight, attorney general merrick garland firing back at republicans accusing him of weaponizing the justice department >> i am not the president's lawyer i will add, i am not congress' prosecutor the justice department works for the american people >> reporter: but republican lawmakers grilling garland over what they call a two-tiered justice system. >> there's one investigation protecting president biden. there's another one attacking president trump. the justice department has got both sides of the equation covered. >> reporter: the gop zeroing in on the special counsel investigation of hunter biden alleging garland was misleading when he said there was no interference in the investigation into the president's son. garland was pressed if he had any conversations with special counsel, david weiss, regarding the case >> i do not intend to discuss the internal justice department deliberations, whether or not i had them. >> so your testimony today is, you're not going to tell us whether you've had discussions with mr. weiss? >> my testimony today is, i told the committee that i would not interfere. >> reporter: two irs whistle-blowers have testified under oath the doj gave preferential treatment to the president's son and that weiss told multiple people he was not in charge. >> he wanted to bring an action in the district of columbia, and the u.s. attorney there said, no, you can't, then you go tell the united states senate under oath that he has complete authority. >> no one had the authority to turn him down >> reporter: weiss has denied the whistle-blowers' accounts democrats today calling the hearing a political stunt. >> this is a gross misuse of your time, your team's time, and our time it is a shameful circus. >> reporter: with garland slamming gop criticism. >> singling out individual career public servants, who are just doing their jobs, is dangerous, particularly at a time of increased threats >> ryan, another major headline tonight, there's new drama in the negotiations to avoid a potential government shutdown. what can you tell us >> reporter: lester, republicans are struggling to come up with a spending plan that will satisfy a narrow band of conservatives who are making life difficult for the house speaker, kevin mccarthy if they do strike a deal, it still needs to pass the senate with only ten days to go before the government shuts down. lester >> ryan nobles tonight, thank you. this evening in indiana, an urgent manhunt is under way for a fugitive murder suspect, who got out of jail, not by escaping, but by being let go mistakenly. emilie ikeda explains. >> reporter: tonight, the search is ramping up for a murder suspect, who authorities mistakenly let walk free from an indianapolis detention center just two days after he was arrested. >> this was an error this should have not happened. >> reporter: law enforcement now making a plea for the public's help in finding 28-year-old kevin mason. they waited six days to alert the community of his accidental release, a tactical move, they say, as authorities covertly tailed mason's girlfriend, today arresting her for assisting a criminal. >> we thought it was to our advantage to follow her until we find where they have him. >> reporter: last week mason was arrested in indiana on three warrants out of minnesota related to homicide, a parole violation, and firearms possession. the marion county sheriff's office said one of their clerks thought she was correcting duplicate bookings and lifted two holds in the inmate's file. the mistake was not caught before a clerk in minnesota lifted the final hold when authorities waived extradition there. residents in the area now left on edge >> it upsets me, but it puts the community in danger, and i can only hope that he's found soon >> i think they have a responsibility to keep us safe. >> reporter: the search comes on the heels of a massive manhunt that blanketed philadelphia suburbs convicted killer, danelo cavalcante, evaded hundreds of officers for nearly two weeks after crab-walking out of jail now, in indianapolis another multiagency manhunt as the sheriff's office vows to tighten its protocols and announce the termination of two clerks. >> i'd rather no one get out of jail, much less one charged with murder. >> reporter: authorities believe mason is still in indianapolis and acknowledged he has had practice evading law enforcement having been on the run since the deadly shooting back in 2021. lester. >> all right, emilie, thank you. in california the suspect in the deadly shooting ambush on a los angeles deputy making his first court appearance kevin salazar entered a dual plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to a charge of murder with special circumstances. salazar was arrested monday after a standoff at his home his family says he has schizophrenia. initial autopsy results were released today on that new england patriots fan who collapsed and died after a fight at a game this past weekend. tom llamas has the new details. >> reporter: tonight, with new video and more eyewitnesses coming forward, investigators are trying to figure out how exactly a 53-year-old fan died shortly after being punched in the head at an nfl game on sunday. >> 300 level, guy not breathing. >> reporter: the norfolk county d.a. says preliminary autopsy results for dale mooney suggest there was no traumatic injury, but a medical issue was identified, not saying what that issue was. mooney's official cause of death still remains undetermined pending further tests and the d.a.'s investigation remains ongoing, this as we're seeing a new angle with this video obtained by our affiliate, wjar, taken before mooney collapsed appearing to show several dolphins and patriots fans scuffling. at one point a man believed to be wearing a dolphins jersey throwing a punch keith noonan sitting rows below says he watched as paramedics tried saving mooney. >> i saw paddles come out, so, you know, started to get worried. i turned to my son, and i said, you know, let's just pray for the best >> reporter: so far no charges have been filed, and connecting the brawl to mooney's death could be challenging. there was a death inside the stadium we still don't know exactly why. is there a chance for a lawsuit here >> there certainly is a chance, but a plaintiff would have a steep burden here. they'd have to show that the stadium had noticed, they knew that this was a high likelihood and that they failed to take any security measures. >> reporter: the violent confrontation in massachusetts, one of several happening during nfl games this week the league did not respond when asked if they planned on changing any security or safety procedures at upcoming games. the nfl has previously said that one incident was too many, and tonight loved ones are remembering dale mooney as a hard-working family man, who leaves behind a wife and two sons. >> tom, this investigation is still ongoing. >> yeah, that's right, lester. the d.a.'s office says they have examined multiple angles of the video capturing the scuffle prior to mooney's collapse, but they're also asking anyone who has more video or witnessed the event to please come forward, and, lester, that investigation is ongoing. >> all right, tom llamas, thank you. also this evening, the deepening impact of the strike by the united autoworkers against the big three carmakers. maggie vespa is at a plant in ohio. maggie, what happened today? >> reporter: lester, autoworkers here striking against chrysler owner, stellantis, learned today that the company plans to lay off a combined 350 nonstriking employees from a nearby machining plant and two facilities in indiana. stellantis saying in a statement that those layoffs are, quote, a consequence of strike action in a similar move by gm today, who announced the temporary closure of a kansas assembly plant immediately and indefinitely sending home, they say, most of the 2,000 employees at that facility saying, there's basically no work to be done at that facility because it relies on parts made at a striking plant. in the meantime, the uaw holding strong to its demands. among them, a 40% pay increase and the elimination of pay tiers, and then new tonight, the union saying, they have received a new offer from stellantis, but they're releasing no details on that offer, and, remember, looming large over all of this, the union's president saying, come noon on friday, barring any serious progress, this now targeted strike at three plants will expand lester >> all right maggie vespa, thank you. here in new york, president biden met today with israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu, though it wasn't the setting netanyahu wanted peter alexander is following this, and, peter, this comes after months of strained relations. >> yeah, lester, that's right this is the first time that president biden has met with prime minister netanyahu since he became israel's prime minister nine months ago. still the fact that this meeting was happening here in new york and not at the white house, as israel wanted, is widely viewed as a snub by president biden. the white house has expressed its frustration with netanyahu's overhaul of the judiciary there. the president has called netanyahu's conservative government the most extreme he has seen in israel tonight, a senior white house official called the meeting, constructive and candid. one big takeaway here, lester, is that netanyahu touted what he said would be a, quote, historic peace if there was to be a normalization of relations between israel and saudi arabia, lester >> all right, peter alexander, thank you now to a developing story out of texas, a houston area high school suspending a black student for the second time this year because of his hairstyle now, as antonia hylton reports, the family is calling on the district to change its policy >> reporter: darryl george, a high school junior, has been out of class for more than two weeks. the barbers hill independent school district in texas has suspended him twice since the start of the school year over his hairstyle. >> his grades are failing, like, they're going down drastically. he's not getting the proper education. >> reporter: all darryl wants is the chance to join the rest of his classmates >> go back to class, do what i need to do to get my education. >> reporter: the district says his hairstyle, called locs, violates their grooming code, which states that male students' hair wil not extend below the eyebrows or below the earlobes, but darryl's mom says her son always wears his hair like this pulled back above his eyes and eyebrows now, the family is considering legal action >> i want them to really educate theyself on our cultures, on our hairstyles, and then they will see, it is covered. it is a part of who we are. >> reporter: it all happened the same week the c.r.o.w.n. act went into effect in texas, banning acts of discrimination against certain hairstyles and textures in schools and workplaces 22 other states have passed similar bills the legislation gaining momentum after incidents like the 2018 scandal over a black wrestler forced to cut his hair to compete. >> the school says this is really about the length of his hair it's not about race. do you see that distinction? >> we're dealing with the policing of a hairstyle like locs, braids, and twists that african descendants historically and commonly wear and are associated with our racial and cultural identity it is a form of racial discrimination. >> reporter: today the district filed a lawsuit seeking court clarification on the c.r.o.w.n. act they maintain they're not in violation of the new law, which they argue doesn't govern hair length meanwhile, darryl has no plans to change his hair. >> i'm saying straight to barbers hill, we're not backing down at all. we gonna fight. >> reporter: antonia hylton, nbc news, new york. in 60 seconds, kraft issues a major recall because of a choking hazard and new accusations against amazon for deceptive practices in its prime memberships. what you should know right after this back now with a consumer alert more than 80,000 cases of kraft american singles have been recalled due to a choking hazard the company says the problem with a wrapping machine could cause the plastic film to stick to the cheese a list of the impacted products is available on nbcnews.com. there are new details tonight in the federal trade commission's lawsuit against amazon involving claims that it duped millions into paying for its prime service and made it hard to unsubscribe. here is miguel almaguer >> reporter: the new, unredacted details from the ftc's amended complaint against amazon provide new insight into the alleged scheme to enroll customers unwittingly into the company's prime program taking the rare step of naming three top executives as defendants. the ftc singled out neil lindsay, russell grandinetti, and jamil ghani saying, they slowed, avoided, and even undid user experience changes they knew would reduce nonconsensua sign-ups, because it would also hurt amazon's profits lindsay explained that once customers become prime members, even unknowingly, the suit says, they will see what a great program it is and remain members, so amazon is okay with the situation. >> it's always significant when you know that people at the company in senior positions were aware of some of these issues >> reporter: the ftc complaint claims amazon made it purposely complicated for its 200 million plus prime members to cancel their monthly subscription, which offers free shipping and other perks. according to the ftc, some amazon employees urged the company to make changes saying unknown, recurring charges for families could mean money for groceries and gas. while nbc news was unable to reach the three executives, in a stark rebuke, amazon fired back saying in part, the ftc's decision to add three amazon leaders to its civil case against the company is unwarranted. we've always made it clear and simple for customers to sign up for and cancel prime tonight, one of the nation's biggest companies accused of delivering more than just packages to their consumers. miguel almaguer, nbc news and next for us tonight, we'll go to greece where floods and fires are ravaging the lands. what's behind the destruction after this at the u.n. this week, new warnings about the global threat of climate change and the need for governments to respond. the challenge coming into sharp focus this summer in greece keir simmons saw the catastrophic impact. >> reporter: tonight, after a summer of devastating storms, ferocious wildfires, and scorching heat, greece is facing a war with climate change. >> it's a war we have to fight with an enemy we cannot -- sometimes we cannot avoid. sometimes we can contain. >> reporter: greece and governments around the world facing an unprecedented challenge. we left athens traveling along the stunning coastline to a different greece in the central region of thessaly seven days after catastrophic floods here. we met georgia, weeping at what's left of her home. one of her few belongings saved, a wedding photo with her late husband "my daughter and grandson almost drowned," she says everywhere cars are abandoned. houses are ruined. this is this man's house. is there anything left >> nothing, only the walls. >> reporter: they are angry, not at the changing climate, but that officials didn't protect them they could have given you a warning. >> yes, we just woke up in the water. >> reporter: this local union boss has come with clean water and condemnation for what he says is the government's lack of response so, you blame the government more than climate change >> of course climate change is global >> reporter: hundreds of miles away, ground zero for europe's biggest wildfire environmentalist theodora skartsi blames declining rural communities' failures in forest management and then the intense heat >> we haven't prepared for climate change >> for sure we are not prepared >> reporter: the country's leading climate scientist says the impact on greece is a warning to the world. civil protection programs, he says, are just not adequate for this new global reality of extreme weather. it's biblical, floods, and fires. >> it is, it is, but without having noah's ark. >> what is noah's ark for you in greece? >> noah's ark would be a preparation for such big disasters, prevention -- >> to prepare properly >> to prepare properly >> and keir back with us here in new york. all this as a big climate change summit is happening at the u.n. >> yes, lester, but that summit is aimed at how to slow climate change. the example of greece shows how much it is costing to deal with the consequences of climate change just this month europe $2 billion to greece >> all right, keir, good to have you here, thank you. up next tonight, the show in the night sky you won't want to miss in case you missed it, nature gave us a spectacular performance the other night. harry smith now has the encore >> reporter: while you were sleeping monday night, sky watchers got quite the show a full color blitz of the aurora borealis. these shots are from montana. this time lapse from a balcony in canada. so cool. when charged particles from a solar storm reach the earth's atmosphere, the atmosphere gets excited, so to speak, and we do too. >> you're in the mountains. it's dark. there's nobody around, and i get all excited when those photos start coming in. >> reporter: when virginia landscape photographer peter forister got word of the flaring sun, he headed to the shenandoah forest. >> it feels like just experiencing a new side of nature that's just the most spectacular it can be. the sky literally fills with color and light, and that's kind of hard to compare to anything else. >> reporter: and you end up with views like this from minnesota. makes you wish you were there to see for yourself harry smith, nbc news, new york >> sorry to miss it, but we got that performance. that's "nightly news" for this wednesday thank you for watching i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night, everyone i'm jessica aguirre. next on nbc bay area news, we've been feeling it all day. unhealthy skies covering the bay area. health concerns and when it might let up. plus, the controversy continues over the banning of a pride flag at a bay area school district. an emergency school board meeting just happened, and why the principal is in the hot seat. and we continue to investigate issues with 911 calls in oakland. new information we've uncovered about the city spending millions to upgrade its 911 telo