Nightly News Full Broadcast - May 22

[Music] tonight the Urgent effort to avoid a catastrophic government default President Biden hosting speaker Kevin McCarthy at the White House both now optimistic a deal can be reached the president saying they need to reduce the deficit as the government benefits for millions and much much more hanging the balance the deadliest fight of the Ukraine war Russia now in control of the center of Mahmoud but Ukraine says it's not over Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina the latest Republicans to challenge front-runner Donald Trump for president our exclusive interview the suspect in the murders of four Idaho college students in court inside Brian coburger's unusual approach as we learn of new evidence in the case also tonight we return to Florida devastated by Hurricane Ian eight months ago Florida insurance companies accused of short-changing homeowners where damage claims altered families still in limbo in uninhabitable homes we investigate plus Florida massive tourism industry booming in some places but struggling in others and we met them right the steps forward big and small as Fort Myers Beach comes back foreign news with Lester Holt reporting tonight live from Fort Myers Beach Florida good evening and welcome everyone we've taken Nightly News on the road tonight to Fort Myers Beach Florida for a story of Unfinished Business tonight with the official start of hurricane season just over a week away a follow-up to Hurricane Ian which came ashore here last September as a destructive category 4 hurricane in many spots here as you can see around me it looks like it happened just last week and there are a lot of houses that look like this I spent several nights in the days after the storm reporting here on what became one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S history it claimed more than 150 lives directly and indirectly and left a trail of Destruction eight months later we're back witnessing an uneven recovery at best surely a story of resilience and hope but also one of deep frustration where patience is thin especially over unpaid insurance claims we'll look deeper into that in a few moments but economic well-being is at the top of mind for Americans across the country tonight the of pressure to raise the debt ceiling has never been higher today with the U.S quickly running out of Headroom to pay its bills and the consequences of default severe a high-stakes negotiating session between President Biden and house Speaker McCarthy Kelly O'Donnell is at the white house now with the very latest Kelly Lester the President says a critical point now is that he and the speaker must be able to sell whatever deal they can reach to their own parties I asked the president if spending figures are the key to resolving this and he said not that alone he also wants to talk about raising taxes on the wealthy a non-starter for Republicans both stepping out of the West Wing tonight the house Speaker said no deal yet but he praised the effectiveness of today's face-to-face with President Biden I think it was productive in the professionalism the honesty with one another in the Oval Office the President also looked for progress I think we may be able to get where we have to go we both know we have a significant responsibility coming together without other Congressional leaders late today after financial markets closed negotiators also met on Capitol Hill House Republicans want to reduce overall spending and say Democrats are not willing to cut enough the time of spending just spending more money in America and government is wrong adding to the pressure a fresh assessment from the treasury secretary the country's ability to borrow is highly likely to run out as early as June 1st triggering default and what economists say would cause job losses stock market declines and recession that might even include a delay in federal financial benefits owed to Gold Star families like Teresa Jones a Navy Widow with two sons her husband a chopper pilot was killed in 2013. it would absolutely be an added burden in in trying to figure out okay where is the mortgage you know where are the funds for that going to come where are the grocery bills coming from and the timing so close to Memorial Day when emotions are already raw I'm frustrated for for my family for my my gold star you know friends their families I don't understand why this has to be so difficult the stress compounding her loss Kelly O'Donnell NBC News the White House also tonight the deadliest Battle of the war in Ukraine Russia now claiming victory in Bach mood but Ukrainian forces still fighting Molly Hunter is in Ukraine for us tonight the city of back mode is obliterated as the sun sets the charred remains of a city once home to 80 000 people the Wagner mercenary group claiming full control over the eastern city and President Putin congratulating the troops but today is President zielinski returns home from the G7 Ukrainian officials say it's still a fight for the outskirts of back move meanwhile the Kremlin releasing footage of Russian fighter jets it says targeting an air base in the southern Ukrainian city of nepro but Ukraine says it was nepro's civilians that came under Russian fire nobody here his grandmother says could have imagined in their worst dreams what happened here last night tonight signs the conflict is spilling across the border fighting reported among Russian Rebels inside Belgrade Russia and Lester you hear those sirens and Harkey for the Battle of back moot has been the single bloodiest battle of this war so far but of little strategic value now if Russia actually does control that City Center they now have to hold it as Ukraine prepares their counter-offensive Lester Molly Hunter Molly thanks a haunting sound behind you please stay safe you and your crew now to the presidential race Republican senator Tim Scott jumping in but can he find a lane against the current front-runner former president Trump Scott spoke with our Tom yamas in an exclusive interview [Music] fears the most South Carolina Senator Tim Scott emphasizing his own story and leaning into optimism you have a very positive message you quote scripture and yet the two people leading the GOP field right now former president Trump and Governor DeSantis they're not afraid to demonize their opponents do you think GOP voters want someone caring a Bible or do they want someone driving a bulldozer into the Democrats the truth is that what people really want is an optimistic positive conservative who has a backbone but also believes that the best is yet to come I don't think you have to be a pessimist to be strong Scott highlighting his grandfather who picked cotton then saw his grandson elected to congress my amazing mother and his mom who helped him rise up out of poverty in 2021 you said you would support former president Trump if he ran again for reelection he's running but now you just announced your candidacy what changed I believe America can do for anyone what she has done for me I also believe that we have to have a president that persuades not just within our base but even on the other side of the aisle I know I am the candidate that best gets that done it sounds like you're trying to draw contrast there what will you offer voters that former president Trump will not well the question is what do I I'm running for president period I plan to win so the question is what do the voters want in their president they want someone who can persuade on the issues that matter the most to them would you ever try to overturn an election you lost no we press Senator Scott on issues like abortion as president United States I would sign the most conservative legislation pro-life legislation that can get to my desk would you be in favor of a federal ban on abortion we won't see legislation like that come through Congress if we don't first win the hearts and minds of the American people and Scott drawing distinctions with Ron DeSantis the Florida governor who initially called the war in Ukraine a territorial dispute America's national vital interest includes degrading the Russian military therefore our presence in Ukraine is actually essential for us achieving that objective but to be clear you disagree with him on that point you do not think you think it's much bigger than a territorial dispute obviously and now Scott hits the campaign trail with stops in Iowa and New Hampshire Tom yamas NBC News Charleston in Moscow Idaho the suspect and the killing of those four University of Idaho students was arraigned today on murder charges Gotti Schwartz is there and Gotti thinks took an unusual term in the courtroom yeah that's right Lester today quadruple murder suspect Brian kohlberger seemed very alert he was very direct as he told the judge he understood the charges against him but when he was asked how he pled instead of saying guilty or not guilty he remained silent so under Idaho law the judge entered default please of not guilty for co-burger and set the trial for October 2nd meanwhile there are new questions coming to light after exclusive reporting from Dateline according to court documents coburger's DNA evidence was found on a knife sheet at the scene and now a source with inside knowledge of the investigation is telling Dateline that detectives found evidence that kohlberger ordered the knife and sheath on Amazon seven months before the killing after today's hearing the prosecution will now have 60 days to decide whether they are going to seek the death penalty a little bit later muster all right Gotti Schwartz thank you in 60 seconds we're back from Fort Myers Beach and we'll go inside the battle over insurance with homeowners desperate to rebuild plus how tourism is bouncing back as a new hurricane season approaches we're back from Fort Myers Beach where hurricane Ian hit eight months ago with hurricane season about to begin many homeowners here are still in limbo struggling to get insurance payouts they need to rebuild this was our master bedroom what was once the Clifford family's home is now an unlivable Maze of studs this home is uninhabitable right now absolutely for how long until we can fix it [Music] when Ian tore through Florida last September they had just relocated from New Jersey and were days away from moving into their new home they say the roof was damaged the floors and ceilings soaked but the Cliffords thought they were relatively lucky then they say nine-year-old Sheila started getting sick when was the moment you realized you couldn't live here anymore uh the moment they told me that there was mold in my daughter's rooms and it wasn't safe for them to stay there anymore an adjuster the Cliffords hired estimates there's more than four hundred thousand dollars worth of damage they didn't have flood insurance and their homeowners insurance has only covered the damage to the roof they sent a check for I think after a deductible about forty eight hundred dollars is 4800 is going to cut it no close not at all the company sent a letter saying the damage is not covered because it could have occurred from wind driven rain or elevated flood levels the Cliffords are now suing the insurance company which told NBC news they were unable to comment further due to the ongoing litigation how would you rank the insurance response to the storm absolutely garbage terrible eight months after Hurricane Ian destruction is still a common sight here many homeowners blame insurance companies saying payouts have been slow and insufficient and now Florida's Department of Financial Services is investigating possible fraud after several independent adjusters came forward alleging their work had been manipulated to pay policyholders less what made you want to come forward and discuss this the fact that it was just wrong as wrong can be there's no doors or Windows left when a catastrophic storm hits adjusters like Mark Vinson and Jordan Lee are hired by companies called third-party administrators or tpas to help insurance companies get through the mountains of claims their job is to go to homes and estimate property damage the companies can make revisions to those reports but the adjusters say major changes were made without their collaboration or consent reported four of the 46 claims that I turned into the to the firm that I was working for they manipulated 44 of them what kind of things were different than when you would sign up there were missing pictures and the dollar amount was significantly reduced from what I had originally written for would you pick up the phone and challenge then I did they gave me no basis as to why they were making those changes NBC News has reviewed several of the reports they submitted and the final copies in many cases the losses were reduced by tens of thousands of dollars I have one that I wrote for 239 thousand dollars and the altered estimate was 3476 dollars it's completely wrecked the final report still lists the adjuster's names has your work been wholly misrepresented very much so you know you come out to a category five hurricane home the roof you see damage and then I write an estimate for that damage by the time it gets back to the policyholder that roof is not on that estimate at all I mean what do you do the insurance company associated with Vincent's work says it takes these kinds of allegations very seriously adding tpas internally review and make correct adjustments before they are presented to companies for a coverage determination the TPA and insurance company Lee worked for have not responded to NBC news's request for comment have you seen these altered estimates in other disasters yes we have Doug Quinn founded the non-profit American policyholder Association after his home was destroyed in superstorm Sandy these are people that did the right thing they put a safety net in place in case something like this happens and when that safety net fails them what they go through is devastating as for the Cliffords they say they have no idea when they'll be able to return home are you in limbo kind of just keep reiterating to myself that there's got to be light at the end of the tunnel we've got more to tell you about up next tonight inside Florida's tourism rebound as the new hurricane season approaches [Music] with its theme parks beaches and Resorts Florida relies on tourism as a pillar of its economy but as Sonica donge of our NBC Orlando station West 2 reports the recovery after last year's devastating hurricanes is a mixed story across the state on Florida's Cocoa Beach surf director Mark Ferraro says business is booming I'd say 90 of our business is tourism we get people from all over the country 137 million tourists a year bring Florida roughly 100 billion dollars in Revenue supporting 1.6 million jobs so we've got to be able to continue to attract people to come into the state they're a huge part of our economy all of it at risk with each increasingly devastating hurricane Ian flooded areas of Central Florida shut down theme parks and battered the shoreline eight months later some parts of the state are setting new records rocket launches fueling tourists spending along the 72 miles of beach just east of Orlando and we like to say we're the only beach that doubles as a Launch Pad but on the Barrier Islands on the other side of the state recovery is much slower how is tourism pre-in versus today oh my gosh we were looking at record numbers coming in Holly Smith was mayor of Sanibel when Ian hit our tourism dollars were stronger than they ever had been before 1920 21 and that came to an abrupt Hall before Ian Sanibel and Captiva Islands boasted 2600 hotel rooms in short-term rentals now there are less than 200. the island in one of the only places you can stay you want the tourists to come back but you want the place to be ready for the tourists so I I think it's a fine line that we're walking as we recover Sanibel used to see more than a million visitors a year 1600 a day just at the ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife is very resilient since reopening last month it struggles to bring in 300 a day you know the wildlife will continue to use it and and that gives us a lot of hope hope and determination slowly bringing the island Back The Visitor Center reopened repairs underway at the national shell museum restaurants once again ready to serve the tourists returning for the waters and the shore yeah it's beautiful we don't have beaches like this inside of California but with hurricane season approaching the lessons from Ian are clear resilience is the essential consideration in rebuilding Sanibel took a huge hit did you get a sense talking to folks that maybe it wasn't a good idea to rebuild Lester across the board what we saw is determination to come back tourism is the business of Sanibel Island and without it there isn't much of an economy people tell us it could take up to five years to get back to where they were but they're in it for the long haul all right Sonic and thanks very much up next the stories of Incredible strength after Hurricane Ian foreign [Music] ly signs of Hope and what hurricane survivors here told me about discovering strength within themselves and each other it's been eight months since hurricane Ian barreled ashore but for some in Fort Myers Beach it looks and feels like yesterday it was honestly terrifying a lot people stood without power I met quite a few that don't have water the beach Baptist Church filling What even today is still an urgent need we're feeding about 2 800 mouths per month there are signs of progress rebuilding businesses slowly returning even weekend beachgoers are back recovery is measured in small steps volunteers cleaning up posting street signs they call it the beach Vibe coming back but the personal toll is hard to measure some left after the storm others chose to stay all right man it's great yeah I first met fisherman and Coast Guard veteran Matthew Simonson the day after Hurricane Ian hit it's like a tsunami telling me about his harrowing Story of Survival clinging to a boat as it was hurled onto land atop the storm surge we were actually eye level we were taking out some of these top wires we found him still living here doing Marine Salvage what made you stick it out there's so much work to be done here still that sense of purpose and hope extends even to the very youngest here the children of Fort Myers Beach Elementary School were forced to relocate to another school when theirs was destroyed how did you do during the storm pretty good their story shared in a song that deeply resonates on this beach and across this battered but remarkably strong community [Music] [Applause] what gives you that strength because after the Swarm I felt like I lost everything but I realized I saw my friends and family [Music] and that's Nightly News for this Monday join us tomorrow night when I report live from Miami on the remarkable growth here and why the road to the White House may run through Florida thank you for watching everyone I'm Lester Holt please take care of yourself and each other good night thanks for watching our YouTube channel follow today's top stories and breaking news by downloading the NBC News app

Channel: NBC News

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Keywords: Health, International News, Lester Holt, Making A Difference, NBC Nightly News, National News, News, Nightly News, U.S. News, breaking news, evening news, politics, world news

Id: _lz7wZPODMA

Length: 21min 22sec (1282 seconds)

Published: Tue May 23 2023