steve patterson, nbc news >>> and we're back in a moment with the emotional reunion after one man rescuedearly two dozen lives from this week's snowstorm in buffalo >>> plus, the incredible moment an nfl quarterback sprang into action to save passengers from a helicopter crash stay with us >>> welcome back the blizzard that hit western new york state this week is now blamed for at least 40 deaths but tonight a story of lives saved and a reunion with the hero who brought nearly two dozen people to safety jesse kirsch reports tonight from buffalo >> reporter: when you need help -- >> stranded, freezing, out of gas. >> reporter: -- you want jay witley. did you think twice before heading out, or did you just jump right in >> no, that's not me. >> reporter: when jay got stuck in the blizzard trying to help a friend near buffalo, he wound up with two strangers running low on fuel, turned away at one door after another, he broke in to this school as soon as you get through the glass, can you immediately feel heat >> yeah, 100%. >> reporter: with his companions safely inside, jay went back into t

steve patterson, nbc news. >> super heroes in deed. when we return, back in full force. force.ys filled at chewy, you can save on all the gifts you need for the gifts that keep on giving. smiles! because while they'll never understand this whole situation... they definitely get this. thank goodness. great prices. happy pets. chewy. i'i'll remembeber that chahr of m my life fororever. wewe laughed, , we cried,, we prorotected thahat progree homeme & auto bubunde day and d night. we prorotected thahat progree homeme & auto bubunde we were e all of us s dazzli. like knighghts sworn t to prt our kingngdom. wewe knew it w wouldn't lat forever, b but... ththat's what t made it special ---- you know w we'll be baback tomo, right? ththat's what t made it special ---- yeah, but t it'll nevevr be today a again. ththat's what t made it special ---- -[ groanining ] -just geget on the b bus,! ththat's what t made it special ---- >>> finally, there is good news on this christmas night. one of america's great orchestras is back in scale. here is the boston pops. ♪♪ ♪♪ inside boston symphony h

>> steve patterson, thank you. >>> in the battle against inflation the fed raised interest rates by a half point. while that was less than previous rate hikes, the fed chairman says increases must continue or inflation could become entrenched here's tom costello with that. >> reporter: from factory floors to farms to main street usa, every interest rate hike ripples through the economy affecting everyday americans. near philly, small business eric and christopher makes silk screen pillows and totes. they would like to expand but higher rates are making a small business loan too expensive. just as inflation drives up costs forcing them to cut employee hours. >> kind of a scary time i can't pursue ideas and dreams, if you will, to grow the business to other levels, to other avenues, to other outlets at this time. >> reporter: the fed's decision today to hike interest rates by another half point could put those dreams further out of reach this seventh interest rate hike of the year comes as inflation is running at 7.1% year over year, better than the 9.1% last june but still too high. >>

steve patterson, nbc news. >> lucy, you are incredible. >>> that's "nightly news" for this wednesdaynk you so much for watching i'm tom llamas please take care of yourself and each other ♪ this renental car isis so bororing to dririve. let's be honesest. the e rent-a-carar industrys ththe definitition of borir. anand the reasason can be e d in the n name itselflf. rent - a a - car. you u don't wawant a frien. yoyou want thehe friend. you don'n't want a a job. you u want the j job. the isis always ovover a. that's s why we don't t offer a cacar. we offffer the carar. ♪ sixtxt. rent thehe car. >>> i'm jessica aguirre. next on nbc bay area news, another day, more southwest cancellations. most people not even showing up to the airport today, except those looking for their lost luggage. people trying to search through that mess. >>> and break from the rain today, but it's not going last. meteorologist rob mayeda tracking two more storms headed right into a very wet new year. >>> plus, new requirements for travelers coming from china. why china is seeing such a covid surge, so much worse t

and officials are stressing vigilance as mother nature's molten threat creeps ever closer steve patterson, nbc news >>> and up next, stunning new images from a close encounter with the moon you won't want to miss >>> and america under pressure with loneliness on the rise how volunteering is helping some americans improve their mental health. >> announcer: this segment is sponsored by united health care. get medicare with more >>> as we approach the holidays, there is growing concern about americans facing loneliness and isolation after the pandemic but as kate snow reports in our series "america under pressure," there's also a solution that's helping them give as well as receive. >> reporter: it's the midday rush at gather 55 >> this place is very important for the community. >> reporter: a restaurant in hartford, connecticut where it's pay what you can for a quality meal those who can't are never turned away. instead, they can opt to volunteer their time it's run by hands on hartford, a non-profit that focuses on housing, health, and food insecurity. >> who's got the pasta? >> reporter:

millions are in the path of what could be the coldest christmas in nearly 40 years >>> our steve patterson has the latest on the idaho murder investigation involving four college students >>> and an inside look at the extremeturbulence that landed number of passengers fort hospital instead of a hawaii beach. "early today" starts right now good morning i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. the clock is ticking for the biden administration they have until 5:00 p.m. eastern today to file an appeal after the supreme court issued a temporary stay of title 42 the trump-kprera policy was supposed to be lifted tomorrow 1200 national guard troops have been die emeployed. >> reporter: with record number of migrants crossing the border surging, the supreme court stepping in. chief justice john roberts responding to a request from republican officials it comes with el paso, texas under a state of emergency with thousands of migrants crossing the border into the u.s. every dae. many of them released onto the streets where they've been sleeping outside the mayor making the emergency declaration this w

steve patterson hears from them tonight. >> reporter: for nearly seven long winter weeks, life in thesmall town of moscow, idaho, upended. a town of just 26,000 shrouded in sorrow following the murders of those four young lives. >> while we cannot bring back maddy, kaylee, xana, and ethan, we can thoughtfully and purposely carry their legacy forward in the work that we do. >> reporter: tonight the families still steeped in grief but hopeful for justice. the mother of victim xana kerr noedsle telling nbc news, it's been a nightmare. this whole thing has been a nightmare literally, but i feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. but it's been a long road. >> if everybody was like ethan chapin in this world, it would be a better place. >> reporter: as the weeks tick by with little new information in a place that hasn't had a previous homicide in seven years, criticism against local law enforcement swelled. moscow police chief james fry promising the trail wasn't cold, promising to bring justice, visibly impacted. >> i'm a dad with daughters. and that's tough. >> reporter:

steve patterson, nbc news. >> if you can beat a shark in the water those high school kids had no chanceur morning with us. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm cory coffin there's three days left in 2022. putting off new year's resolutions, >>> right now at 4:30, tracking the storm. the wet weather back once again and it's here to stay. the preparations being made as even more rain is moving in ahead of the weekend. also, meteorologist, vianey arana, is timing out our new year's eve forecast. plus -- >> we're seeing animals, particularly dogs coming in in numbers we have never seen before. >> a growing problem for local shelters. more and more pets abandoned. this is "today in the bay" streaming live on roku, apple tv and amazon fire and online. i

here is steve patterson. >> all right, let's do it. >> reporter: santa might have that magic sleigh, but all yuri and rodney need is a cargo van, loaded up with gifts just like jolly st. nick, the pair travels an incredible distance to deliver christmas magic. >> our favorite super heroes. >> reporter: that's yuri williams the storm trooper with rodney smith the elf, hoping to spread some christmas cheer to families who could use a little. in the past four years, this dynamic duo has crisscrossed the country, visiting families in all 50 states. a 17,000 mile journey in less than a month from kentucky to california, oregon to new jersey, where the guys are bringing joy to jaden, suffering from severe seizures, and arianna, struggling with a degenerative brain disease >> how you >> i'm happy. >> reporter: for yuri, it's a familiar pain. >> just hearing a mother's love remind me -- of my mom, you know while we were cuddling with her, this brings memories back of when i was a kid coloring. it's moment likes this i get caught in the moment. >> reporter: he lost his mother to cancer in 200

steve patterson, nbc news. >>> the eruption of the world's largest active volcano continues in hawaii. during the past 24 hours, the lava flow advanced at the rate, average rate of about 400 feet per hour, according to the u.s. geological survey's most recent update the lava's migration to one of the island's main highways, however, has slowed significantly. plus, mount semeru, indonesia's highest volcano erupted sunday according to national disaster management agency, monsoon rains eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop the 12,000 foot high volcano causing the eruption evacuations began in the east java province. so far no casualties have been reported >>> one of the nfl's most controversial figures back on the field and playing against his old team desean jackson returned to the browns, having served an 11-game suspension after dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct nbc's jesse kirsch was at the game >> hear a smattering of boos here as watson takes the field for the first time. >> reporter: he used to play for the texans but when cleveland browns quarterback dese

steve patterson, nbc news. >> lucy, you are incredible. >>> that's "nightly news" for this wednesday i'm tom llamas please take care of yourself and each other [cheers and applause] ♪♪ you give your hand to me ♪ ♪ and then you say hello ♪ ♪ and i can hardly speak ♪ ♪ my heart is beating so ♪ ♪ and anyone can tell ♪ ♪ you think you know me well ♪ ♪ but you don't know me ♪ ♪ mmmmm ♪ ♪ i never knew the art of makin' love ♪ ♪ though my heart aches with love for you ♪ ♪ afraid and shy i let my chance go by ♪ ♪ the chance that you might love me too ♪ ♪ you give your hand to me ♪ ♪ and then you say goodbye ♪ ♪ i watch you walk away beside the lucky guy ♪ ♪ oh you will never know ♪ ♪ the one who loves you so ♪ ♪ cause you don't know me ♪ ♪ ohhhhh no you don't know me ♪ ♪ oooooh you don't know me ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: all right, everybody, welcome to "the kelly clarkson show"! let's hear it for my band y'all! [cheers and applause] that was "you don't know me" by jann arden. i love that song. the canadian singer is busier than ever. just this year she dropped a new album, finished

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students tonight the police chief is speaking out about the frustrating search for answers to our steve pattersonks >> reporter: six weeks later, the murder investigation of four university of idaho college students seemingly stuck in neutral. no publicly known suspects or motive and every week questions outweigh answers >> it's a complex case >> reporter: despite the public's impression, moscow police chief james fry says there is movement in the case. he just can't talk about it. anything new in the investigation? >> what i can tell you is this case has not gone cold we're still receiving hundreds of tips daily. we are following up on those tips we're still building that picture. >> reporter: police say one of those pieces is a white hyundai elantra in the area at the time of the murders and investigators asked the public for help who responded with thousands of tips, but hopes were dashed yesterday when police looked at a car matching the description and found it was unrelated another threat unraveled the public desperate for any information. >> i know that's very frustrating. it's frustrating

here is steve patterson. >> reporter: it is perhaps the proudest moment in the young life of lucy arthard work culminating in a wisconsin state swimming 50 free title. it was amazing. >> reporter: for lucy, it also meant a miracle. am. >> i was with my cousins on the beach. >> reporter: 20 months earlier in march 2021 while on vacation in florida with her family she was attacked by a five to seven foot ed by a 5 to 7-fo blacktip shark. >> it jumped out of the water and my hands like wept in its mouth. i punched it off of me. >> reporter: a vacationing doctor stabilized the bleeding with tourniquet, but the damage was severe. >> i was scared i would lose my hand. >> reporter: the shark tore part of her wrist, severing four tendons. she question fd she could compete again. >> i didn't think i would be able to move my wrist the same way again. >> reporter: lewis' road included surgery, physical therapy three times a beak for four months and half a year outside the pool. she says that time away gave her a new perspective and renewed motivation. >> just, yeah, pushed me kind of to be the b

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steve patterson explains. >> reporter: a new phase of fallout in the incendiary wake of kanye west's actions. the artist now simply known as ye, once again banned from twitter after another anti-semitic post. this time, a now deleted image of a star of david enveloping a swastika. >> the large political project, they have been undergoing for the last two decades or so on the internet, that has reached a new apex for them. they have found a new celebrity messenger to push their messages. >> reporter: the account suspended thursday night. elon musk confirming the ban. i tried my best. he again violated our rule. account will be suspended. >> the surprising part is that elon musk found his line. he found his content moderation line. >> reporter: it comes two months after west's account was reinstated following another suspension for the same violation. following a similar anti-semitic tirade. triggering the loss of several lucrative partnerships. musk says it was restored before he took ownership. hours before the latest post, west clad with a black mask, gave a lengthy interview to ale

steve patterson, steve, thank you. >>> a new fbi report out today shows hate crimes increased last year020. nbc news justice correspondent ken dilanian is outside the justice department for us. ken, look, the fbi changed the way it collects data take us through the impact that had on today's report. and why are we seeing only 65% of these crimes reported >> reporter: morgan, the fbi's been warning local jurisdictions for years that it was implementing this new method, this more detailed method of collecting crime statistics, as opposed to the old uniformed crimes report method but a number of local jurisdictions just didn't comply this year. and this was the year the fbi said, we're only taking this data the new way, not the only way. of so, you had cities like new york and l.a. that weren't ready to comply. major parts of states like california and florida so, as a result, we don't have a full picture of the level of hate crimes in what most experts say was probably a record year for hate crimes in 2021. we just don't have the data because even though the justice department has spent m

steve patterson tries to answer that. >> reporter: the animated future of the metaverse is taking a while to render. >> here you can find your community. >> reporter: in 2021, virtual reality was the hot new space in tech, and v.r. headsets were nearly impossible to find. this year a slowdown, fewer people trying to find their way to the metaverse, a virtual reality space where users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. a developmental priority for big-name tech giants like google and apple with meta and mark zuckerberg in particular going all in. >> at meta, we're focused on building the fundamental technology that will help bring the metaverse to life. >> reporter: since the company changed its name from facebook to meta in late 2021, it has since spent more than $27 billion on metaverse development, but that commitment aside, skeptics remain as evidence by meta's slumping share price. to experience the metaverse, you need one of those v.r. headsets which can cost anywhere from $200 to well over $1,000. and after a record-breaking 2021, where v.r. headset

steve patterson is following the story for us and, can you explain what happened to the arrest steve? >> cory, a couple of things here. one, unequivocally, detectives, police, the fbi all say that dna evidence was essential. the key piece, the missing link that led to his arrest. we don't know how that the na evidence played a role, but a lot of this is still under wraps. we do know that it was essential to that. it was supported by a pretty robust surveillance operation, including at his home in pennsylvania. and possibly across state lines in his car. we know that the vehicle was that white hyundai elanco. still one of the key pieces, one of the few leads that the public knew about four weeks, and weeks. it led to thousands of tips. while there is still so much to learn, including motive, including murder weapon, at least the family feels that those families back in moscow, least now they have a pathway to justice. take a look. >> for nearly seven long winter weeks, like in a scenic small town of moscow, idaho upended. a town of just 26,000 shouted in sorrow following the murders of

steve patterson is following the stour for us. steve, what do we expect today?year-old anderson lee aldridge, the suspect just sat down, i'm. awaying the live stream. it's the first time we're seeing the suspect appear in court wearing a yellow jump suit. it's expected to be read the tort mall charges, five counts for the preliminary charges of first-degree murder, five counts of as biassed attack. the question today is will the those me pretty limb nar charges match the charges that are expected to be formally read. there's some question about that. those charges can change. especially when you look at those expected hate crime charges as well. court is just beginning as we speak. i think they are going to bring him up in just a few seconds. there was also some question about whether or not his status would play into the formal charges. remember defense attorneys listed their suspect as nonbinary, using they/them pronouns. there was question about how much that play into how much the charge cans will be. that's what we're looking for. court is just starting. >>

nbc's steve patterson has the latest. >> what i want people to know this is a moscow police department investigation. >> reporter: moscow police chief taking full ownership with no named suspects so far. >> my command team is overseeing this. we have 94 years of experience between us. we're going to continue to work the case. >> reporter: vowing not to give up after the lawyer nor one of the victims' family criticized law enforcement on "today." >> i'm not sure they are capable of handling a quadruple murder. and maybe they should be getting more help. and maybe there should be some different lead investigators on the case. >> reporter: police also said they know about a surveillance video that appears to be in the night of the murders. >> what did you say to adam? >> i told adam everything. >> reporter: police say they've identified the adam named in the video and that he's cooperating with detectives. investigators have been searching for information about a white hyundai elantra that she say was close to the scenes of the murder of four college students last month. police have one c

steve patterson. joining me now is kevin fix, they're a vegetative reporter for the idaho statement. all right, kevin, for those of you that have been covering the story, first of all, did the ceresco as a big surprise as it did in the news media. had you heard about this suspect before friday? >> and, where yes. this was a bit of a surprise. police did issue a press release that they would be having a press conference, and that happened on friday morning. by that time a tv station in philadelphia had broken the news and the pennsylvania state police ultimately, before that conference did announce the arrest of a suspect they named brian coburg are and they directed any additional questions to moscow police ahead of that press conference but ahead of that press conference, moscow police would actually not confirm the suspect. >> it's been extraordinarily moscow police and other entities have taken a lot of heat from people saying, what's going on, what's going on. there are persisting trying to find o

steve patterson has the latest from moscow, idaho. >> reporter: yeah. police now dialing in on a key piece of information and asking for the public's help at the same time focused now on a hyundai elantra or what they believe to be the make and model of a elantra between 2011 and 2013. it is when they believe it was made. they say it is critical because it was in the immediate area during the crime, somewhere extremely close to that home where those four college students were stabbed. they say that they believe that the occupants of that car could have critical information, but they couldn't elaborate on a whole lot more. just really asking for the public's help to help track that car down, to help identify it, so they can ask those pivotal questions. meanwhile, there, of course, is the processing of dna evidence at the home. that will be a critical part of this investigation, but one that experts say is likely to take some time, not only because it just takes time to match and process dna, but because of the complexity and the size of a home not to men

steve patterson has the latest. >> the police chief says that he does not want to speak about the leads to compromise the case. >> we are painting the picture still, and part of the picture is coming from the tips. >> reporter: moscow police chief says that a picture is emerging behind the scenes of who killed four college students there last month, though the canvas is looking frustratingly blank to the anxious public and the grieving families. one tip is chasing a white hyundai elantra near the scene that night. >> why the white elantra, and do you security footage or do you have a model of 2011 to 2013 in the area? >> we believe that the white elantra is important to us. we just want to talk to that person or persons in that vehicle to see what they may know. >> can you talk about whether or not you believe or still believe it is a targeted situation. >> we believe it is targeted. based on the information that we v and that is part of the investigation. we are not going to comment on that. >> and the lack of information has proved frustrating for some of the victims' families. >> we

steve patterson, nbc news. >>> we have an update on the search for a missing 11-year-old girl in northve released video footage from the last known time that madalina cojocari was seen. it shows the sixth grader getting off the bus at her stop on november 21st at 4:59 in the afternoon. her mom and stepfather didn't report her missing until december 15th. they are both in jail charged with failure to report maddelena missing. >>> tens of thousands in northern california are cleaning up after the earthquake that rattled that region. it killed at least two people. the 6.4 magnitude quake damaged roads and homes too. the state of emergency in effect for humboldt county roughly 200 miles north of san francisco. niala charles is joining us. it's been about 24 hours since that earthquake. you've been looking into the damage today. where is the worst of it? >> reporter: aaron, the worst of it is a couple miles off the northern california coast near the california/oregon border. this shows some damage inside a home. cabinets and shelves on the floor. broken glass everywhere. dozens of homeses h

steve patterson was in court yesterday for the suspect's preliminary hearing and has the details. >>etail about the night paul pelosi was attacked. >> the purpose of today's hearing is to establish which charges we move forward to trial. >> reporter: and the judge ruling all charges will go forward against david depape, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and elder abuse, this following a multimedia presentation from the prosecutors including audio, pelosi's 911 call, video from officer body cameras showing the moment police arrived, and the alleged assault weapon waved in front of the judge. paul told the operator, i've got a problem, but he says everything's good. then later pelosi making it clear he's in trouble, saying he's telling me to get the hell off the phone. prosecutors playing officer body cam footage confirmed the door opened from the inside after police knocked. audio from that footage revealing within seconds of police trying to assess the situation, they screamed drop the hamer, which was followed by labored breathing after pelosi's skull was cra

steve patterson joins us now from our los angeles bureau. he's been tracking this from there.nter of the earthquake, first of all, and what kind of damage are we seeing? >> reporter: the epicenter is up on the screen, off the coast of ferndale, humboldt county, california, about 200 miles north of the san francisco area. strong quake, 6.44 is no joke. happened at about 2:30 this morning. people report saying that it was arouound 15 too 20 secondnds, w is q quite a long t time for anything o over 6.0.0. that tellsls you the intensity. the damage, widespreadad. you're lookiking at somome of i now. crcracks in the roadadway, stor fronts that were shattered. you know,, obviously items falling over at homes very dangerous. also to infrastructure. several gas lines were ruptured. the power, of course, out for a lot of people in that area. and you know, crews are working right now in an emergency situation to try to get everything fixed. we just had a press conference not too long ago with the operations emergency management services. i just want to tell you what they're saying about

nbc news correspondent steve patterson reports from idaho. >> reporter: the town of moscow holding a ceremony and remembering the four college students killed last month. along with the university, this small town has been deeply impacted by the deaths. paul's family owns this coffee shop. >> we actually changed our schedule to make sure there's always two people here at once. >> reporter: as the town prepares for christmas, the mood is somber. was there, like, a sadness to it? >> yeah, for sure. like just really sensitive around here of, like, what we talk about, like, even jokes that we make, being, like, oh, not the joke to make right now. >> reporter: police have asked for the public's help finding a white hyundai elantra they believe was near the house when the murders were committed. why is this vehicle of interest? >> we know that vehicle was there, so the occupants or occupant naturally is someone we want to talk to. >> reporter: since day one, the brutal stabbings have attracted the attention of self-styled internetanyahu salutes. #idahomurders has around 300 million views.

outside the san francisco courthouse is correspondent steve patterson. let me, i'll lay this out. there are no cameras in the courtroom. help us understand why it is significant and what is driving the headlines here. >> no access. no cameras in court. and i think coming into today, there were some questions about what we would actually see and hear inside that courtroom, would it include the body camera? would it include the 911 call? would it include the officer testifying, who responded to that 911 call, that welfare check? turns out the answer is, d, all of the above. all of this new evidence, does it really help us glean new information about the case? nothing that we hadn't already heard with the indictments or any of the d.o.j. testimony, that came out, and what i think it does is it provides context. and it doesn't dispel any possible conspiracy theories that somebody might have about this and it provides a whole heap of contexts as to what exactly happened. starting with that 911 call. you actually hear pelosi's voice on that call, talking to the dispatcher, it almost sou

it's up in the air back to you. >> steve patterson, thank you very much. to get there >> i do too. i can put those on for five minutes and then i have a get overwhelmed. >> steve is right. >> king kong or die. >>> coming up, a link between long covid and debilitating heart condition. we'll tell you more about it and the signs to look for. >>> 2022 was a ground breaking year for nasa. what's ahead when it comes to the big business of space tourism. that's right after this. comes the big ♪ -i say to you, love your enenemies ♪ and prayay for thosese whwho persecutute you. ♪ -i donon't fefeel any dififfe. ♪ -i-i don't need youou to feel anytything to dodo great thih. (upbeat t music) -i-i don't need youou to feel anytything to dodo great thih. -j-jesus, if y you do nott rerenounce youour words, -i-i don't need youou to feel anytything to dodo great thih. we w will have n no choice bt to follow w the law ofof mo. -i-i don't need youou to feel anytything to dodo great thih. -i am the e law of mososes. ♪ you knknow folgersrs as a homomebrew... but let's hear i it

steve patterson joins us now from l.a. how were they able to find those people? this as a double miracle. for one, my gosh, look at this video. this couple traveling on tuesday. they're in angeles national forest, they slide off that ravine 300 feet into that canyon. officials say in that part of that forest on that highway, cars usually disintegrate. people die instantly. so that's miracle one. miracle two, how did they get rescued? this is one of the reasons why people love los angeles, right? despite how densely populated it is, despite how the cost of living is, i can drive 40 minutes to get to that location, and in that location you might not see another car in 30, 40 minutes. there is zero cell service. that's a situation those people were facing in a night below freezing. you're fing hypothermia. it beams to a satellite, sends rescue workers latitude and longitude and that's how they were able to get there in about 30 minutes. miraculous. not only that, it allowed for two-way messaging with rescue workers so they knew exactly where that couple was, which w

nbc news correspondent steve patterson joins me now.ne of the victims' families. they are not satisfied with the job authorities are doing. what concerns do they have? >> reporter: well, as you mentioned, lack of answers leading to frustration with some of these families. one in particular, the family of kaylee goncalves, one of the four victims killed that night. her father, steve goncalves, has been in touch with police, communicating with police, as have all the families. but there is criticism that the police aren't accurately communicating back and beyond that whether or not they can handle an investigation of this level. listen to what his attorney told us. >> we want to let them know that we were holding them accountable for their decisions, and if they -- if they are in over their heads, then acknowledge that, and turn the investigation over to someone who's more versed in handling these types of matters. >> reporter: now as you would imagine the police pushing back on that saying that they are handling this investigation to the

nbc's steve patterson is there >> reporter: in moscow, idaho, the mystery continues to grow in the search for the killer of four slain college students last month. investigators now asking for the public's help finding a particular person or people, releasing generic photos of a white hyundai elantra with an unknown license plate, saying it was in the vicinity of the home that tragic morning. >> thanks to these tips and leads, we know that vehicle was there. the occupants or occupant, naturally, is someone we want to talk tomorrow they might have critical information that can help us solve the case >> reporter: investigators say it is to protect the integrity of the investigation that they have not released information on a suspect, potential motive or whether they've located the murder weapon, which they believe to be a knife. >> the tip line is now going to an fbi call center that's so they can handle all the volume of tips and categorize them and help us. >> reporter: what they have released is that all four students turned home after a night out at different locations across town and

steve patterson has their story. >> reporter: three weeks later, more questions, few answers, no suspects as friends remember four lives lost. >> how truly special i felt to be your friend. >> reporter: for the first time we hear from the two surviving roommates inside at the time of the stabbings in their own words. >> i'm going to be reading two different letters, one from dylan and one from bethany. >> reporter: their letters read by a fast tore. >> my life was greatly impacted to have known these four beautiful people. >> reporter: and bethany funk. >> they were truly all one of a kind they all lit up any room they walked into and were gifts to this world. >> reporter: officials say the surviving roommates have been ruled out as potential suspects, their four friends stabbed to death in the early morning the moscow police department still following leads in the investigation, digging through more than 100 pieces of evidence on top of thousands of calls, tips, and emissions, maintain they were tar investigated they say there is speculation without factual backing, stoke fierce and spre

steve patterson reports. >> reporter: three weeks later, more questions, few answers, no suspects, as friends remember four lives lost. >> how truly special i felt to be your friend. >> reporter: for the first time, we hear from the two surviving roommates inside at the time of the stabbings in their own words. >> i'm going to be reading two different letters, one from dylan, and one from bethany. >> their letters read by a pastor at a service held this weekend. >> my life was greatly impacted to have known these beautiful people. >> and bethany funke. >> maddie, kaylee, examine na, and ethan were gifts to this world. >> reporter: the surviving roommates have been ruled out as potential suspects. their four friends stabbed to death in the early morning hours of november 14th, likely asleep in their beds. with no president ises or murder rep, the moscow police department still following leads in the investigation, digging through more than 100 pieces of evidence on top of thousands of calls, tips, and emails maintaining the fatal stabbings were targeted. the department focused on dispe

. >> nbc's steve patterson is following it. . just five weeks after elon musk took over twitter, this morning, the billionaire's vision on the platform is coming into question as questions about free speech versus hate speech swirl while the suspension of ye, formerly known as kanye west captured the headlines, following the activists and qanon theorists have been reinstated. >> people know how to play the game and subtly over time, those are people coming back. >> reporter: andrew england, one of neo-nazi websites now back on the platform after thanksgiving week, that amnesty beginning next week. the billionaire cutting the company staff those dedicated to monetary abuse and hate speech. >> musk is setting the tone for the permeability that had people shutting the door in the first place. >> reporter: slurs against black americans tripled and anti-semitic tweets soared more than 61% according to groups that monitor online hate. musk pushing back causing reports of hate speech utterly false claiming hate speech and expressions c

responsible accountable for millions in investments vanished, starting with the man at the top steve patterson, nbc news >>> now to warning signs of a new migrant surge at the border. in el paso, texas the border patrol reporting an average of more than 2400 daily illegal border crossings there, including a caravan of 1,000 migrants entering the u.s. just yesterday. there has been a record 2.4 million legal border -- illegal border crossings over the last year. >>> in idaho tonight still no breakthrough in the stabbing deaths of those four college students last month. as officials try to track down a car that may have been near the scene. erin mclaughlin is in moscow, idaho. erin, what do we know? >> reporter: well, lester, tomorrow marks a month since the brutal murders of four college students, killed in the middle of the night in the home just behind me. today police saying are not there is a lot they are not releasing to the public so as not to compromise the investigation. at the same time appealing to the public for help specifically relating to a white hyundai elantra that they say was

steve patterson is there with the very later. g. >> reporter: good morning to you. today police begin that process of gathering and removing some of the personal belongings of the victims from inside of that home so they can be returned to their families. it is an emotional sign of finality and loss punctuated by the fact that there is still a killer on the loose. this morning the moscow police chief says he hopes returning personal items to the victims' families help with the emotional grieving process. >> it's time for us to get those things back that really mean something to the families and, hopefully, to help with some of their healing. >> reporter: speaking about the toll the investigation is taking on his department -- >> i'm a dad. i have daughters. it's tough. you know, we're human. we don't go to these and just turn it off. >> reporter: this is finals week at the university of idaho. only about a third of students who live on campus came back after thanksgiving and many of those that remain say the last few weeks have be

nbc's steve patterson joins us now. steve, good morning to you. >> reporter: yeah, good morning.ted to the murders near the university of idaho campus and just yesterday news of a white hyundai elantra that crashed in oregon captured the attention of authorities as well as internet sleuths, but it was later to be determined not to be connected. >> what i want people to know, this is a moscow police department investigation. >> reporter: moscow's police chief taking full ownership of a case with few clues and no named suspects so far. >> my command team oversees this, we have 94 years of experience between us and we are going to continue to work this case. >> reporter: vowing not to give up after the lawyer for one of the victims' families criticized law enforcement on "today." >> i am not sure they are capable of handling a quadruple murder and maybe they should be getting more help and maybe there should be some different lead investigators on the case. >> reporter: police also say they know about a surveillance video that appears to be from the night of the murders. police say

. >> steve patterson has an update good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you.ity of idaho campus is largely deserted now that winter break is underway the university had the winter commencement ceremony on saturday, a poignant day as one of the victims should have been walking it >> it's been a tough few weeks for our community. >> reporter: a subdued and somber ceremony over the weekend. pomp and circumstance mixed with grief at the university of idaho's winter commencement. >> ethan chapin, xana kernodle, madison mogen and kaylee goncalves were taken from us far too soon by a senseless act of violence >> reporter: a moment of silence, one of them, kaylee goncalves, should have been receiving her diploma. and what was supposed to be a joyful weekend, fears that a killer could be walking among them police issued a warning to the commencement crowd urging the community to stay vigilant and travel in groups. >> we will have a lot of officers around. we will have a lot of idaho state police around. you will see us both at the commencement as well as just around to

. >> all right, steve patterson. thanks for that.ining me now, found of the harlem ace act shun network and host of politics nation here on msnbc. rev, what my friend. how do you interpret conyers antics and even taking into account his self-declared mental health issues. why do his antics mad her in the broader context of the political climate right now? >> well, i think that his antics matter because he is a big, huge cultural figure and people listen to cultural figures. and when they are given access to places, media spaces like twitter, they are able to normalize hate and incite people. we have seen any number number of hate crimes this year that those that were accused and in some cases convicted of performing and acting hate crimes were influenced by social media. and social media platforms. we just saw in the last week, a man plead guilty for killing ten blacks in buffalo new york at the top supermarket. so this is not a time to talk about, they should have the freedom to do it. they should have freedom of speech, not freedom

steve patterson is covering this for us. what is the latest on officials getting a sense of the scale of the damage and people getting their power back? >> reporter: i can tell you the damage is widespread. 6.4 is no joke. you can tell the intensity by the length of time that it is shaking and people were reporting shaking anywhere from 15 to 20 seconds, which anything after 60 is a long time. this thing happened at 2:to in the morning off the coast of humboldt county, california, far north of san francisco. people reported that shaking for about 20 seconds. and it has caused a lot of damage. starting off with good news, this is not necessarily catastrophic damage. this is not the big one. no serious injuries, no life-threatening injuries reported, but the damage is widespread. we're talking damage to infrastructures, cracks in the roads, damage to store fronts, gas lines ruptured, so crews are worried about gas leaks, they are running around trying to fix these problems. there were injuries. two people injured, one is a bro

. >> steve patterson is in los angeles now with more. orter: hey, guys, what is happening. the metaverse promises to change our lives. from as you said, the way we online game to practicing medicine. but it isis goioing throughgh s growowing painsns but expertsts this could all be the calalm before t the stormrm. take a a look. the animated future of the metaverse is taking a while to vender. in 2021 virtual reality was the hot new space in tech. and vr headsets were nearly impossible to find. this year a slowdown. people could interact with a computer generated environment and other users and a developmental priority for big name tech giants like google and apple with meta and ceo mark zuckerberg in particular going all in. >> at meta, we're focused on building the fundamental technology that will help bring the metaverse to life. >> reporter: since the company changes its name from facebook to meta in late 2021, it has spent more than $27 billion on metaverse development. but meta commitment aside, skeptics remain as evidenced by meta's

nbc news correspondent steve patterson has the latest. >> reporter: as the hunt for a killer stretchesfrustration is mounting for at least one of the victim's families. >> i'm not sure they're capable of hand allege quadruple murder. >> reporter: a lawyer for the family of kaylee goncalves questioning how police have managed the investigation. >> if they are in over their heads, then acknowledge that and turn the investigation over to someone who's more versed in handling these types of matters. >> reporter: and saying that while the family supports law enforcement, the moscow police have done a poor job of communicating with the grieving goncalves family. a spokesperson for the police department says they are dedicated to supporting and communicating with the families of the victims, with the holidays approaching, police insisting they won't stop searching for the clues in the murders of the four students. >> we will continue to keep up this pace. >> reporter: kaylee goncalves' mother, christy, speaking to "today" last week, urging investigators not to give up. >> don't let these kids