Nightly Files Corpulent Broadcast – Feb. 4

Breaking news tonight the U.S shoots down that Chinese spy balloon which had floated over the United States dramatic video of the balloon plummeting back to Earth and the moments leading up to it fighter jets and their contrails circling it over South Carolina how the U.S military brought it down and new details on when President Biden gave the.

Order I told them to shoot it down the Arctic blast smashing records across the Northeast Boston hitting wind chills of negative 30 in Vermont negative 40. the brutal cold spawning water spouts and we're going to take you to the coldest place in the U.S ever it just hit negative 108.

Firing train crash in Ohio thousands forced to evacuate as flames shoot up to the sky the smoke traveling into the next state amid fears it may be carrying toxins primary challenge the Democratic party votes to make South Carolina the first primary how New Hampshire and Iowa are fighting back.

And dramatic rescue at Sea a boat flipped over by huge waves off of Oregon how the Coast Guard saved the man on board and the bizarre backstory that got him there this is NBC Nightly News with Jose diaz-bellart good evening for at least five days a Chinese spy balloon has been traveling.

Over the United States it was spotted in Montana and Kansas and today over the Carolinas this afternoon its Journey ended in dramatic fashion this is the moment U.S fighter jets took it out here we go and then Witnesses watched it slowly plummet down into the ocean the operation required shutting down.

Commercial air traffic from at least three different airports across the Carolinas you can see here the empty airspace that created President Biden was then quick to announce the operation but there are still questions about why it took so long to take action and what it could mean for relations between the world's.

Two largest superpowers the U.S and China we're going to get into all of that today but we begin with Ryan Nobles on how it all went down here we go a dramatic moment caught on camera off the coast of South Carolina oh my gosh it's going straight for it by 239 U.S fighter jets took down a.

Chinese spy balloon that had been making its way across American airspace over the past several days defense secretary Lloyd Austin saying the operation was conducted by fighter aircraft from the U.S Northern command above U.S territorial Waters they were seen circling the balloon as it made its way over the ocean a senior U.S defense.

Official says the balloon was shot down by a single F-22 with one air-to-air missile the F-22 flying at approximately 58 000 feet while the balloon was at an altitude between 60 and 65 000 feet eventually a poof of smoke before the object appears to fall from the sky the balloon expected to land in the Atlantic Ocean where it can be collected for.

Military analysis President Joe Biden who was under pressure from Republicans to take the balloon down said he ordered the mission days ago on Wednesday when I was briefed on the balloon I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible they decided without doing damage to anyone on on the ground they decided that the best time to do.

That was water outside within our within the 12 mile limit the balloon was spotted all over the country after it was discovered earlier this week today people seeing it outside their windows on airplanes Chinese and from the ground with the naked eye like Jeremy Austin in Asheville North Carolina and there it was right outside.

Of our building very recognizable uh very obvious to Plain View and Plain Sight uh but pretty interesting but as the military operation ramped up the FAA stopped air traffic at three airports on the North and South Carolina coast okay is this a.

This place shut down today yeah all in anticipation of this moment this particular incident now resolved but the geopolitical implications still unknown and Ryan Nobles is that the White House.

Ryan with the balloon shot down what happens with it now Jose according to a senior U.S military official the recovery effort there is already underway there are navy and Coast Guard vessels in the region creating a security perimeter the debris is believed to be in 47 feet of water and Recovery should be quick Jose.

Ryan Nobles at the White House thank you let's bring in Jeremy bash the former Chief of Staff at the CIA and Department of Defense Jeremy so the U.S military shot it down now they're going to retrieve it what could they get from the balloon itself well the intelligence Community Jose will analyze The Radars the cameras the communications equipment.

How the propulsion system works they're hoping to learn exactly how this overhead balloon operates so they can potentially defend it against something like this in the future was this not only a spy balloon but also a trial balloon was this the Chinese testing how far they could go yeah I think China fielded this capability in part to.

Figure out where they could operate this balloon how long it would go undetected and ultimately what the United States would do about it I think in the future we're going to need the capability to bring down a balloon like this over land we can't wait for it to Traverse the entire United States and wait for it to get out over the ocean what does this.

Mean for U.S China relations well the relationship between the US and China is in a pretty bad State I think this is only going to worsen it Jose this is going to be a momentary crisis but I think there's a lingering issue which is that we are in a deep competition with China and this is going to only exacerbate it Jeremy bash thank you.

And now to the other big story We are following the dangerous Arctic blast that is smashing records across the Northeast many spots haven't felt temperatures this brutally cold in decades wind chills in some areas making it feel 50 to 60 degrees below zero Emily iquetta has more from a very Sub-Zero Cambridge.

A historic winter blast blanketing the Northeast today it's really cold it's really really cold wind chills in Portland reaching -45 and in Boston 30 39 below Uncharted Territory for both cities it's fighting I can't do anything the ones in a generation cold reaching the peak of nearby Mount Washington where it felt.

Like a jaw dropping minus 108.80 miles per hour meteorologist Francis terrazowitz measures conditions outside every hour what was that like you're immediately agreed to buy a roar sort of like a freight train before I really knew what was going on my legs seemed to have been knocked out from underneath me and I was.

Uh on the ground the record-shattering cold stirring up rare weather phenomena across the region captured by NBC affiliate wptz's Liz strepa here on the shores of Lake Champlain in beautiful Burlington Vermont the temperature plunged to 15 below zero but it felt like 40 below with the wind chill you can see the steam fog Rising above the.

Lake and check this out we've even seen some rare water spouts connecting up to the clouds and in northern Maine resident spotting trees cracking caused by moisture inside freezing and quickly expanding the Arctic blast turned deadly Friday when authorities say a tree fell on a car near Springfield Massachusetts killing an infant inside.

Further south whipping winds knocked the scaffolding off this building and in New York City residents at several apartment complexes are facing the frigid temperatures without heat when it's cold cold wear my sweater layering up in the battle against a brutal cold randomly Ikea joins us now from Cambridge Massachusetts Emily this cold is going.

To be very short-lived Jose that's right the extreme conditions froze parts of the Charles River behind me but tomorrow much of the region will begin thawing out and at a rapid rate it's 14 right now in Boston Jose tomorrow's highs in the mid 40s I'm Alicia thank you a fiery train crash in a small Ohio town has forced.

Thousands to flee as concerns grow that smoke from the wreckage that's still blowing over the community may carry toxins Dana Griffin has the latest 50 of the cars in this massive Train derailed Friday 20 of them carrying hazardous materials as flames lit up the sky in northeastern Ohio according to the NTSB they're requesting an engine.

Tanker ladder truck and any available Manpower some 2000 residents nearly half of East Palestine still under evacuation orders visitors told to stay away it's still a very volatile situation the smoke so thick it could be seen from this weather radar and conditions so concerning firefighters had to leave the area as.

They let the fire burn four tank cars carrying Vinyl chloride were involved in the derailment and have been exposed to fire at least one Vinyl chloride car is intermittently releasing the contents of the car through a pressure relief device as designed authorities are not sure which cars if any have been compromised according to the National Cancer.

Institute Vinyl chloride is a highly flammable gas exposure is associated with an increased risk of liver brain and lung cancers but tonight authorities are reassuring the public we have zero readings of any health risks as far as anything Airborne coming from the chemicals that they're looking for tonight the cause of the crash is still.

Under investigation luckily no one was injured officials have detected runoff in local streams but say the town's drinking water is safe as residents here fear lingering impacts long after the Smoke Clears Dana Griffin NBC News and now to the most historic shake-up of the presidential primary in years the Democratic party voted to make South.

Carolina the first primary state in the nation booting both New Hampshire and Iowa but those States aren't going down without a fight Marisa Parra has more those in favor of approving the report say aye an historic vote changing the way Democrats pick their Presidential nominee sending South Carolina into the spotlight as the party's new first in.

The nation primary thanks to all of you uh for this great decision that you have made today you may remember it was clyburn's 2020 endorsement that revived President Biden's campaign for the last 50 years Democrats started with a caucus in Iowa and then a primary in New Hampshire but after the 2020 Iowa caucus meltdown led to major delays and Results.

Party leaders began debating if now was the time for change states with predominantly white voters just simply didn't reflect the diverse Democratic base now the party's new presidential primary calendar slated to start next February in South Carolina followed by Nevada New Hampshire Days Later Georgia a week after that and Michigan at months.

End this an acknowledgment that your voice your experience matters but dissatisfaction coming from New Hampshire and Iowa New Hampshire state law requires their primary be held a week before all the other states a tradition they're not giving up without a fight you know we've been going first since 1920 and no one gave us the right.

To vote so I don't think anyone can take it away New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan doubled down to the challenge tweeting quote regardless of the DNC vote New Hampshire will go first adding that the changes are quote deeply misguided Jose Marisa Parra in Philadelphia thank you still ahead tonight the American hero.

Who was killed in Ukraine our interview with him before his death also dramatic rescue at Sea how the Coast Guard saved this man after his boat Flint we are learning more tonight about the tragic loss of a retired American Marine medic who was killed while volunteering in Ukraine Pete Reed was so dedicated to.

Helping others NBC News has profiled him over the years from other War zones Ralph Sanchez is in Kiev with his story wherever people needed help especially in the chaos of War there was a good chance Pete Reed would be there you might have an ankle fracture from the looks of it after leaving the Marines the 33 year old from New Jersey.

Volunteered as a medic in Iraq during the fight against Isis I sold some fight left in me I could use my medical for good then heading to Ukraine with an aid group he found it make me watch Smokey and the bandits helping evacuate civilians from the city of bakmut the site of some of the war's fiercest fighting Reed was killed there.

On Thursday his ambulance hit by a shell his family said tonight his wife Alex Potter sang I have never met someone more selfless everything he did was always for the benefit of others the pair met in Iraq and got married five days before war broke out in Ukraine I can't imagine our lives without him I loved him so much and he.

Loved me so well NBC's Richard Engel met Reed in Iraq alongside fellow medic Derrick Coleman how many Frontline medical posts like this are there in mosul right now one you're standing in it this is it yeah Coleman and Reed last spoke two weeks ago there's so many cliches of people.

Talking about somebody with a big heart and somebody who really puts themselves In Harm's Way just to help everybody else heat was just that to the max a young American who made a difference at the end of it they always talk about how many people died I think that's what kept us here in the beginning is we wanted that number just.

To be a little bit less RAF Sanchez NBC News Keith we're back in a moment with the high-tech future of hospitals the doctor isn't but is it a person or artificial intelligence we're back with a dramatic rescue at Sea that was all caught on tape take a look at this you can see a Coast Guard.

Helicopter hovering over a ship that's being tossed around in Rough Waters when a huge wave flips The Vessel over a rescue swimmer made it to the man who was tossed from the ship and the two were then hoisted to safety now later in a bizarre twist it was discovered that the man on it had allegedly vandalized the house featured in the movie The.

Goonies and then went on and stole that yacht artificial intelligence is slowly creeping its way into almost every part of our daily lives and it's now set to revolutionize the health care industry in one Hospital AI is not only monitoring patients but may soon be able to diagnose them tonight our Dr John.

Torres takes us inside what could be the hospital room of the future Michael Dieter has been awaiting a lung transplant at the University of Florida Health Center since December what you call high flow air and because of that I can't sustain myself at home a dedicated team of doctors and nurses attend to him day and night but that's not all.

Sensors and cameras track deters every move in this smart Intensive Care Unit from vital signs to facial expressions and everything in between every place in this room will sensing something about you is this enough light is this is not enough noise are you okay you know are you moving enough are you in your bed are you out of the bed I think that's.

The future of how we will Design Hospital more than 350 gigabytes of information per patient goes into a Central Computer where artificial intelligence then processes the data we could look at the patient and go they're moving a lot there's something going on there or their face has a certain Grimace absolutely.

Is it possible that it could tell you you before I even know that I'm having problems yes 100 we will be able to decipher complex features complex emotions like agitation or hunger funded by the National Institutes of Health the high-tech experiment enters its third year researchers are still teaching the technology what certain actions like.

Sitting and standing might indicate the hope that AI will soon be able to provide real-time Health Care recommendations nurses doctors we spend a considerable amount of time paperwork translating the data we get you will actually have a representation of the data innovated you as a human can just understanding action but will this new.

Technology replace the need for humans in the hospital altogether they are very simplistic uh models compared to what our brains are doing and I don't think that we should be worried about humans being replaced anytime soon that this technology does take big burden of the Physicians and nurses and provide them time to actually engage what we are here.

For taking care of the patients a new holistic approach to health care where humans and computers work hand in hand Dr John Torres NBC News Gainesville Florida tonight police in New York City are searching for an owl named Flacco who they say was set loose from the Central Park Zoo Zoo officials say the bird's.

Enclosure had been vandalized the stainless steel mesh cut the owl has been spotted multiple times since his Escape but he's evaded capture and fears are now growing over where their Flacco can survive on his own when we come back the undercover hero who helped countless people in his community his secret now finally.

Revealed there's good news tonight about unsung heroes and one man's secret mission to help others when they needed it most tell me a little bit about your dad he was a very kind generous caring I'm gonna say Godly Man her father holy Childress a retired farmer turned secret.

Superhero it happened here at this Geraldine Alabama Pharmacy he just walked in one day and said do you ever have anyone that can't afford their medication and I said yes and he said okay the next time that happens I want you to give this to them and and use it for their medication it was a 100 bill.

But he had one demand he just said I need you to promise that you won't ever tell where it came from from then on every month year after year he came back with the same hundred dollar bill and the same request how much did he end up giving it would be around ten thousand dollars Cody was able to keep it secret until.

Last year when his health started to fail he turned to his daughter Tanya Nix he said I've been doing something for a while that I would like to continue doing so I brought the money to the drugstore I found someone I said I'm hody childress's daughter uh he said you would know what to do with this and they.

Said yes we do this New Year's Day holy passed away order the secret philanthropy soon spread through Geraldine and to Bree slogan last August her son Eli had a severe reaction to a hornet's thing she rushed to Geraldine drugs for an EpiPen she says it's 800 what yeah I like to have died but like for so many others hody came to the.

Rescue but she said is taken care of and I said what if she said it's taken care of no questions asked and now hodi's mission is growing I had a gentleman from Washington call and say I want to you know donate 12 months and then I had a gentleman from Miami call and say I'm.

Just going to start a hoodie Fund in my own town I know Dad would like to bring hope to the people that feel desperate because I feel like there was times in our lives that was really hard and there was people that stepped in and helped us we seen that through his story it doesn't take much to make a difference.

And Brooke the pharmacist tells me she hopes to keep the holy fund alive as long as donations keep coming in that's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday I'm Jose Diaz Boulevard thank you for the privilege of your time and good night thanks for watching our YouTube channel follow today's top stories and breaking.

News by downloading the NBC News app

Sharing is caring!