Nightly News Full Broadcast - Feb. 1

Tonight thousands gather in Memphis for Tyree Nichols' funeral the emotional words for Nichols more than three weeks after his death following a brutal police beating his mother's tearful message his hug with Vice President Kamala Harris and Harris is call to action from the stage ahead As we take a look at the personnel files of the fired officers, why some of them were disciplined in the past, also tonight the FBI searched President Biden's beach house, but His lawyers said no additional documents classified by Mark were found, we asked the White House. sought elsewhere comes as president and Chairman McCarthy hold first meeting on debt ceiling crisis death toll rises in that crippling ice storm in Texas and South hundreds of thousands without power in bitter cold more than 2,000 flights canceled us We're following the entire Alec Murdoch double murder trial, how prosecutors say a dog channel video on his son's cell phone shatters Murdoch's alibi.

The FED raises interest rates again as inflation cools. More increases are coming. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. At night, if you are suffering a dehumanizing death, beaten helplessly in the street, the life and person that was Tyree Nichols was celebrated today in a Memphis church with a funeral that portrayed Nichols as more than a victim of a shocking act , but also a father of a skateboard. However, for one keen photographer, the service was also a public protest for police reform attended by other families who lost loved ones at the hands of police and also attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, who said this law Violent violence did not seek public safety.

In that sense, we have learned. More information on the five officers charged in Nichols' death, including the disciplinary records of four of them, as an apparent disconnect emerges between police accounts of the confrontation with Nichols and what is seen on video recordings. Priscilla Thompson leads us tonight with songs of Blessed Sorrow of the Dead in the Lord prayers for peace we must come together to offer comfort to this family as Tyree Nichols' family celebrated his 29 years of life Tyree was a beautiful person and let this pass it's just unimaginable the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I truly believe that my son was sitting here on a task, yes, but God, thousands of people remember the life of Nichols, a father who loved to skateboard and photograph the sunset.

It saddens me that this happened to him, he didn't deserve what happened to him, I'm like 100 trying to let you know, support this family today among the mourners, the families of Brianna Taylor and George Floyd and Vice President Kamala Harris, we demand that Congress approve the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act Joe Biden will sign it and we must not delay in the midst of pain a resounding call to action is a plea for justice for Tyree Nichols the funeral takes place as new details emerge about the former police officers Memphis police now charged with beating Nichols to death Attorneys for two of the accused men say they will plead not guilty Personnel records first obtained by NBC News affiliate WMC show four of the officers had been disciplined in the last two, including Desmond Mills Jr and Demetrius Haley for failing to file proper reports after using physical force during an unofficial arrest.

A copy of the initial police report filed after Nichols' encounter with officers reveals discrepancies between what police say happened the night of Jan. 7 and what the video shows. The Shelby County District Attorney's Office says they are reviewing the official report which they say matches the account. The unofficial copy we received of that account says Nichols began fighting with detectives when they pulled him over, but the video shows an officer removing nickels from the driver's seat and throwing him to the ground. Hey guys, you're really doing it now, bro, lie down, he said too. Nichols grabbed an officer's gun, but that was never seen on the video; officers heard about it on body camera after the incidents.

The district attorney's office, in confirming the account it saw, does not mention the officers kicking, punching or punching nickels, but does say that the officers pepper sprayed and hit him with a baton several times, but for today the family focuses not only on their loss but also on Tyree's light. I will never forget my brother. I will never forget my Gemini to win. I love you and um to save a place for me, brother. Lester Nichols' parents will travel to Washington DC next week to attend the president's State of the Union address, a topic that will likely come up on police reform Lester Priscilla Thompson tonight, thank you, the FBI has searched the home in the President Biden's beach, the latest in the search for classified documents Peter Alexander now reports from the White House under the microscope about its level of transparency.

FBI agents spent nearly four hours today searching President Biden's Delaware Beach home in their latest search for mishandled classified documents. The president's lawyer later said that no documents with classified markings were found. The search was conducted with the

full

support and cooperation of the president and agents took some materials and handwritten notes for review. It comes after the Disclosure, the FBI searched Biden's former private office in November, two high-level law enforcement sources told NBC News, but the White House did not share with the public that the president today ignored shouted questions is he Are you sure today was the final search for classified documents tonight?

President Biden's aides argue that, unlike former President Trump, they returned all classified documents immediately, but the White House will not say why. They did not tell the public about the FBI search in November and whether others have not been revealed. Has the FBI conducted any searches at other locations associated with the president that you or the White House are aware of? I think we're providing information like This continues and answering questions about the search activities as they've been going on, there have now been three known FBI searches at locations connected to the president, his former office, where lawyers discovered by first time classified documents.

His home in Wilmington, where the FBI found more classified material. after Biden's lawyers made their own discovery and today's search at Rehoboth Beach House, Republicans are criticizing the lack of transparency, someone leaked this, we would have never heard about it from this white house, they would have covered it up forever, the The special counsel investigation looming over the White House comes as the president met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy with a showdown over raising the debt limit. The White House demands that McCarthy reveal a budget proposal. Republicans are calling for spending cuts. We both laid out part of our vision of where we would be.

I want to get there and I think after explaining both, I can see where we can find Common Ground Peter, what does the White House say about that meeting? Here they call it a frank and direct dialogue and say that McCarthy and Biden will continue the conversation. A possible default that economists warned would be a disaster is still several months away. Lester, it's okay, Peter Alexander, thank you. The rising death toll tonight has seen a major ice storm continue to paralyze parts of the South with hundreds of thousands of people still without power. Morgan Chesky is in Dallas and Morgan, what are you seeing there?

Yes, unless you're on day three of this deep freeze and the sleet has turned to rain, but it will probably only freeze again in a few hours and, unfortunately, this storm has proven to be more deadly, eight people confirmed. They killed seven in Texas and another in Arkansas, but this accumulation of ice has been especially devastating, leaving 350,000 Texans in the dark. Austin was hit especially hard with one in four customers without power. DFW Airport announces that three out of four flights are canceled and conditions may not improve. will get better through tomorrow, but tonight Lester, officials are warning all North Texas roads that have thawed during the day will likely refreeze tonight, which means treacherous travel is still here.

Lester looks tough out there, very good, thanks Morgan in South Carolina, a key. Cell phone video and testimony today in Alec Murdock's double murder trial about the moments just before his wife and son were murdered on his property. Katie Beck has the latest cell phone video taken by Paul Murdock that places her father Alex Murdock at the crime scene earlier. He and his mother were murdered. Prosecutors say this video proves that Alec was there and refutes the alibi he gave investigators that he was not at the crime scene that night until he discovered the bodies and what voices he heard.

Paul's Miss Maggie and Stella. And how sure are you now that 100 is correct after presenting the key evidence for the jury in Wednesday's testimony from Rogan Gibson, a friend of Paul Murdoch whose dog was staying in the family kennel at the time he Gibson got a call from Paul at the pound at 8? 40 p. m. and he remembers hearing Alec in the background. Paul then took a video of a rash on the tail of the dog intended for Rogan at 8:44 p.m. m. was never sent to the forensic program, the last red text on Paul's phone minutes later at 8 48 and the last from Maggie. reads the text a minute later at 8 49.

The defense asks Rogan about the family dynamic. He describes the loving relationships between the three. Can you think of any circumstance that you could imagine knowing them as you do, where Alec would brutally murder Paul and Magnum? It's not that I can think of the prosecutors backing down once again? How long have you known Alec Murdock? Practically my entire life, as you can see here today. Did you really know him? Yes, I met my Stella, the final witness of the day, another good friend of Paul's, he said on the stand. who is one hundred percent sure that the three voices in that video were those of Paul Maggie and Alec Murdock Lester, okay Katie Beck, thanks, the FED raised interest rates for the eighth time since March today and the president's comments Jerome Powell that inflation is falling help send markets up Brian Chung is here Brian presents the outlook Lester three key takeaways from today a Chairman Powell was quite clear that rate increases will continue to reduce inflation and does not foresee cuts of rates this year, said unemployment will likely rise We need to rise from the 50-year low they are at today as the rate hikes deliberately slowed the economy and you can see the challenge the Fed has in the Figures released today: a surprise rise in December to more than 11 million open jobs and three bright ones. spot Hal said that the disinflationary process has begun, what that means is not that prices are going down, which would be deflation, but that the wage base of price increases is slowing and Lester, that is what the Federal Reserve is looking for .

Okay, Brian, thanks, saving jobs was at the heart of the coveted government relief program, but some experts now say it led to the biggest fraud in our history with massive fraud and misuse of taxpayer money today. There's a lot of blame to go around in Congress here's Tom Costello, three years into the pandemic, the size and scale of covert fraud is staggering Congress under President Trump and then Biden allocated an unprecedented $5 trillion in programs of covert bailout to save jobs, keep families fed and businesses open, but government agencies were unable to verify many of the claims on Capitol Hill today, even the highest in the country.

Watchdog said they don't know how much money was stolen by some estimates $560 billion missing the public needs to know where the money went Congress needs to know where the money went who stole it investigators say cybercriminals organized crime Russian, Nigerian, and syndicates Chinese and Americans who filed false claims for unemployment insurance and paycheck protection often using stolen identities Prosecutors say street criminals used easy money to fuel explosion of drugs, guns and violence last year we spoke to MDA of Sacramento County we are talking about an unemployment insurance fraud that could affect one hundred billion dollars nationwide.

This is a dispossession of the United States. This is the greatest dispossession of the United States that I think we will ever see.I hope it is the last and the worst we will ever see so far only a thousand people have been convicted of related covert fraud, including Patrick Walsh, owner of an airship company who used stolen money to buy an island in the Gulf of Mexico and a man from Florida who used $1 million in fraudulent cash to purchase a Mercedes SUV, jewelry, hotel and travel expenses. Today state Republicans blamed Democrats for the lack of oversight and all Americans should be outraged and demand that Congress do something about it.

Democrats blamed Republicans. The Trump administration regularly told agencies to ignore data reporting requirements. Both sides demand more oversight in the future, but recovering much of the stolen money now is highly unlikely to be your money and mine Lester, okay Tom Costello, thanks and I'll be next tonight when politics and education collide with big changes for a new high school class on African American studies, an update now on a story we brought you last week. The College Board today introduced a simplified version of its AP African American Studies class. The move comes after Florida Governor Ron's ascendancy was rejected, claiming he pushed a political agenda.

Zinkley essimoire now about what Langston Hughes has changed, who knows who likes to hear this tonight. The College Board unveils a new framework for advanced placement African American studies after pressure from critics not to include topics such as black lives matter and sexual orientation. A criticism that many students in the pilot course resisted. It really hurt like I thought we were moving forward in life. The College Board says its new curriculum includes the study of black artists, inventors and gay Americans instrumental in the civil rights movement. This is the beginning of a process that will further democratize American education and rightly raised where black studies should be in the curriculum across the board, this latest chapter in the US education debate sparked protests and legal pushback in Florida last week black history is American history Republican Governor Ronda Santis Banning pilot AP course in Florida her latest move restricting the teaching of race and sexuality in public schools when you try to use black history to shoehorn queer theory.

You're clearly trying to use that for political purposes. The college board's new curriculum will no longer include authors flagged by Florida officials as Academics are a cause for concern, but it says the revisions were made regardless of political pressure, adding that it consulted with more than 300 African American studies professors. and piloted the course in 60 schools across the country. Do you think this updated course framework will be enough for Florida to lift its current ban. I don't think Florida is going to lift the ban because this course has never been discussed. The governor was very clear. African American studies have no educational value and I think the government has led with that. has shown that through policy through comments and such, the course will launch nationally next school year zinclair Samoa NBC News and then they will take home cooking to a whole new level and inspire America with the word Nona in Italian. grandmother and for much of the last decade a Staten Island restaurant has been bringing together nonnas to cook Harry Smith makes a return trip it's like a dream your dear grandmother in the kitchen preparing the family's favorite dishes where you were born in Italy it's there where you learned how to cook yes, my normal mother, but Nona María cooks for customers, not for your cousins, in a restaurant in Staten Island, aren't you supposed to be retired?

I like your work, I like doing, you like working, I like it, it comes every day, grandma is in the kitchen it's the house specialty at Enoteca Maria The owner and proprietor of It's Magic, Joe Scaravella. I think the whole attraction with grandmas is when you're growing up, it's like your safe space for over a decade Scaravella has put together a mini UN of Grandmas' Boobies and Nana's Home Cooking. You cook from Asia to the Middle East every night. A divided menu. Italian and food from somewhere else. Something magical that I see happens every night. Grandmas who aren't that good at cooking, but I've never seen one. here especially when Nona Maria is expressing your genius oh yes thank you inside my face is smiling ah I feel so good we too Harry Smith NBC News Staten Island who's hungry?

That's Nightly News for this Wednesday, thanks for watching everyone. I'm Lester Holt. please take care of yourselves and others good night yes thank you for watching our YouTube channel. Follow today's top stories and breaking

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