tonight passengers shaken, but safe tom costello, nbc news >> up next, a new star is born, inspiring america. >>> in tonight's inspiring america, the young man who just won the hearts of the entire country, jo ling kent on his triumph. >> reporter: cody lee has found his voice. and it is captivating. so played his way to the top of "america's got talent. >> the winner is cody lee! rortd lost his sight before his first birthday and was diagnosed with autism at age 4. >> cody, congratulations >> woo-hoo >> how does it feel? >> it was unbelievable >> reporter: cody's mother tina has been at his side every step of the way >> it's given me a lot of faith and hope in the world when you have a special needs kid, you feel alone and to see the way that the world reacted inspired me. >> we are nothing without people like you >> reporter: simon cowell called this the best finale he's ever judged >> how many people are in similar position to him? we don't know. and i think that's where his family has been unbelievable because they realized he had this gift. >> reporter: and now the world knows,

several of the them critically near brice canyon national park our tom costello has the latest. >> reporter: it happened on remote stretch of highway 12 in southern utah not far from brice canyon. medics triaging victims on the highway. many ejected from the bus. at least 4 people dead, 15 in critical condition. the highway patrol says 30 people were on board the bus when it went off the road and hit a guard rail smashing the roof and tearing open the passenger compartment. witnesses rushed to help. >> i was imagining it would be something like a car bombing on the highway like we see in afghanistan it was just debris, suitcases, things all over the road. it's a terrible thing to see somebody holding their wife's head and they're passed >> reporter: no word on the name of the tour bus of where it's based. in the u.s. there are 3,000 motor coach carriers and now investigators looking into a fatal crash in utah. >> we'll look at the driver's background, looking for unsafe behaviors or patterns of unsafe behaviors. they will look at the bus itself to determine if there was an equipment failure

package. >> reporter: tonight the first two british airlift flights have for their flights home tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> tropical disturbances in the atlantic and one is taking aim at puerto rico nbc's morgan chesky is there morgan, is the island prepared >> reporter: lester, good evening. a state of emergency has been declared here in puerto rico where tonight all eyes are on karen, one of three disturbances churning in the atlantic images from trinidad and tobago show the impact along the coast including destructive flash floods back here in puerto rico, flooding and mudslides are all possible more than 50 shelters have been opened up across the island ah >> morgan chesky, thank you. >>> britain's prime minister boris johnson facing pressures over a looming brexit deadline general assembly, i sat downrvi by asking if he agreed with the u. a behind the recent attack on saudi oil facilities >> we are virtually certain that it was from iran, so that presents the world with a very difficult scenario and very difficult position how do we respond? >> that's my question to you, wha

today. >> reporter: it may be called auto pilot but police are warning this is a very bad idea tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> that is not good. >>> when we come back, we all love a nap here or there, certainly not at wheel but tonight we'll tell you about the life-saving benefits just out >>> here is an eye opener, there is evidence released that taking a nap even once or twice a week can be life saving ann thompson explains. >> reporter: to sleep perchance to dream for your health, napping once or twice a week may cut risk says research reported today in the online journal heart. at her startup thrive global aimed at reducing stress and burnout, she's created a zen environment to promote daytime zs. >> getting everyone a 20-minute nap is game changing it improves your alertness and decision-making and also improves your health. >> reporter: but doesn't it go against the idea of productivity in the workplace >> on the contrary, in fact, if you get a 20-minute nap when you're sleep deprived, you're going to be infinitely more productive. >> reporter: the study says people benefitted

with more on that, here's tom costello >> reporter: the first weekend in august brought two more mass massacres. 9 killed in dayton, ohiormer emi walmart shot and killed two workers. today walmart c.e.o. said the status quo is unacceptable announcing walmart will discontinue sales of ammunition for assault-style weapons and handguns, and discontinue hand gun sales in alaska, the only state where it still sells handguns and after panic at a missouri walmart -- >> male wearing a bullet proof vest and an ar around his neck has just walked into the store and is recording himself >> reporter: one suspect arrested today the company said, we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores in states where open carry is permitted. so far this year, 289 mass shootings. >> walmart leadership is stepping up to the vacuum they see from washington leadership they have to protect their customers. they have to protect their associates >> reporter: the question tonight, will other retailers follow walmart's lead? dick's sporting goods is already cutting back

weekend and stranded vacationers all over the world, including some here in the u.s here is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: from the u.k. to germany to airports all over the globe, tens of tho vacationers and honeymooners spent today standing in long lines with few answers. >> what the hell is going on and when can i get my money back >> we're not really sure all we're hearing is things that add to the worry. >> reporter: this travel nightmare began when thomas cook went bust. all planes grounded. 155,000 customers stranded worldwide. many with complicated travel packages including in new york, miami, l.a., seattle, san francisco and orlando. >> go on the website to tell you there will be someone here there is no one here. >> reporter: the good news, u.k. law insures british customers. now britain's largest civilian airlift since world war ii, 1,000 flights over the next two weeks to bring everyone home the lesson for american travelers, consider travel insurance on big trips. >> you might want to buy travel insurance if you go on a cruise or safari or tour or expensive air/hotel package. >>

here's nbc's tom costello >> i started begging him, please take me back home. i promise i won't report it to the police >> reporter: it started after her lyft driver allegedly high on drugs grabbed her phone. then for five hours gladdis says he kept her in the car before pulling into a deserted beach >> he sexually assaulted me >> reporter: kim says a lyft driver attacked her in salt lake city. >> he reached over and tried to grab me, grabbed me around my neck forcefully and tried to kiss me >> reporter: both women are among 14 who today filed suit againslyft alleging they were sexually assaulted or raped by their drivers who may still be driving. their attorneys filing a mass action suit predicting at least a thousand potential victims across the country. >> for every report of one rape there's three or four others that occur, so you can do the math >> reporter: in recent montes, alleged attacks has trended on twitter. the suit alleges lyft's mobile app is negligent, that it should constantly monitor rides, record video and audio of each trip, send alerts when

experts say the time to buy may be now here is tom costello. >> reporter: it may still be september, but with 64 days until thanksgiving and 91 until christmas, the countdown clock is already ticking so start checking prices now. >> we'll see prices for both christmas and thanksgiving change more than 100 times between now and the holidays the best time to get a good deal is pretty early, so before the end of october >> reporter: price alert in the last three weeks before thanksgiving, hopper.com expects prices to jump 5 to $10 each day. aveling the sunday or monday cheaper. and prices can jump by $10 per day in the last two weeks before christmas. christmas eve and day are the cheapest but there could be a hiccup. united and american hope the 737 max will no longer be grounded and flying by mid december if not, it could mean fewer airline seats over the holidays. united's ceo today. >> by the end of the year, probably 100 flights per day that would have been flying had we had the aircraft. >> reporter: one last price alert, thanks to brexit, tickets to london are on sale. >> round t

he tells nbc's tom costello that he will not give the approval for the troubled 737-max to return to the air until he has personally flown the plane here's tom's report from las vegas. >> reporter: the 737-max has been grounded since last march after two fatal crashes killed 346 people overseas. boeing is expected to submit to the faa a software package for approval within weeks. but now the new faa chief himself a former fighter pilot and delta airlines pilot 27 years with thelie is safe befor again. >> i'm the final sign-off authority in the u.s., and i'm not going to sign-off on the aircraft until i would fly it myself or put my own family on t. >> reporter: you will fly the max before you certify the plane? >> i will fly the max. >> reporter: dixon reiterates he's talking about flying as a pilot, not a passenger he'll be in a boeing simulator later this week. >> that was nbc's tom costello reporting. >> brownface has rocked justin trudeau's reelection campaign. now the canadian leader is saying he's sorry. the 2001 photograph first reported by time magazine shows him wearing a tru

tonight news of a tentative deal that is drawing plenty of opposition here is nbc tom costello. >> reporter: tonight, thousands of cities and roughly two dozen states have signed on to a deal that would have opioid giant purdue pharmaceuticals paying up to $12 billion as the company reorganizes under chapter 11 and turns itself into a for-profit trust, with profits going directly to the plaintiffs, but almost half the states are not on board, arguing the deal doesn't go far enough to hold purdue or the sackler family, the owners and one of the nation's richest families, fully responsible for the thousands of deaths linked to the opioid crisis. the connecticut attorney general saying the scope and scale of the pain, death and destruction that purdue and the sacklers have caused far exceeds anything offered thus far the challenge, purdue threatened to declare bankruptcy if the offer isn't accepted leading to less money for the states. >> 400,000 americans died from the crisis and so those democratic ags are saying their citizens should get more money out of the deal. >> reporter: in a deposit

say there could be at least a thousand other potential victims across the country here's nbc's tom costello. >> i started begging him, please take me back home. i promise i won't report it to the police >> reporter: it started after her lyft driver allegedly high on drugs grabbed her phone then for five hours gladys says he kept her in the car before pulling into a deserted beach. >> he sexually assaulted me. >> reporter: kim says a lyft driver attacked her in salt lake city >> he reached over and tried to grab me -- did grab me around my neck forcefully and tried to kiss me. >> reporter: both women are among 14 who filed suit against lyft allegeding they were sexually assaulted by their drivers who may still be driving. their attorneys filing a mass action suit being predicting at least a thousand potential victims across the country >> a report of one rape, there are three or four others that occur. you can do the math. >> reporter: alleged attacks involving lyft drivers have been on twitter the company accused of falling behind uber. the suit lists the app is negligent, that it should co

nbc's tom costello has details >> reporter: delta airlines flight 2353 was traveling from atlanta to fort lauderdale wednesday when pilots received d quickly, descending 30,000 feet in just eight minutes. >> there's an emergency inbound. >> reporter: as oxygen masks dropped, one passenger hugged his son. 121-year-old hn a roller coaster and you go down a steep hill the stomach comes up into your throat >> reporter: the plane finally making an emergency landing in tampa. >> reporter: it's never really something that you ever expect to experience. >> reporter: in a statement delta apologized to its customers saying the flight was diverted out of an abundance of caution. passengers shaken but safe tom costello, nbc news >>> from campaigning to apologizing, canadian prime minister justin trudeau is under fire once again as the blackface scandal continues to overshadow his re-election campaign new images of him dressed in a costume and covered in darkface have surfaced. this is the third instance in 24 hours which include the new video released by canadian news. trudeau called the photos

cities, looking to fill tens of thousands of positions nbc's tom costello was there with the massive crowds. >> reporter: the lines were so long, they stretched down city blocks and into a tent thousands of people drawn by the promise of an interview. >> you have your resume? >> yes. >> reporter: with a 21st century giant. what draws you to amazon >> honestly, it is so cool, at this point it's a very cool name and it's growing. >> reporter: today is amazon career day held in six cities. arlington, virginia, the future home of hq2 as well as nashville, boston, dallas, seattle, and chicago amazon's goal, hire 30,000 employees by early next year from $15 an hour warehouse to computer programmers and execs earning $125,000 and up. what are you looking for in an employee >> people who want to roll up their sleeves, experiment, and create things that haven't been invented yet >> reporter: she just graduated from college with a computer iee gree. >> this is the future. it would be exciting to work here. >> reporter: it comes in a very tight labor market unemployment at a 50-year low with am

but some critics are arguing the agreement doesn't stretch far enough here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: thousands of cities and roughly two dozen states have signed onto a deal that would have opioid giant purdue pharmaceuticals paying up to $12 billion. as the company reorganizes under chapter 11 and turns itself into a for-profit trust with profits going directly to the plaintiffs but almost half the states are not on board, arguing the deal doesn't go far enough to hold purdue or the sackler family, the owners and one of the nation's rich est families fully responsible for the thousands of deaths linked to the opioid crisis the connecticut attorney general saying the scope and scale of the pain, death and destruction purdue and sacklers have caused far exceeds anything offered thus far the challenge purdue has threatened to declare bankruptcy if its offer isn't accepted, leading to less money for the states >> 400,000 americans died from the opioid crisis. and so those democratic a.g.s are saying that their citizens should get more money out of this deal. >> reporter: in a depositio

tonight the new head of the ght the new head of the faa, an experienced pilot is making news telling tom costello he will not give the approval for the 737 to return to the air until he has personally piloted the airplane tom is in las vegas tonight. >> reporter: it has been grounded since last march after two fatale crashes killed people 346, overseas. boeing is expected to submit a software package for approval within weeks but now the new faa chief, himself a former fighter pilot and delta airlines pilot says he personally will ensure this plane is sbe aircraft until i would fly it myself or put my own family on it. >> reporter: you will fly the max before you certify the plane? >> i will fly the max. >> he's talking about as a pilot, not as a passenger. >> tom, thanks. >>> how one college student's plea for beer money led to an outpouring of support for those in need. you man who likes his beer pulled a stunt that's turned out to help his community in a b heres kevin tibbles. >> reporter: during a college football pregame show, carson king raised his crudely drawn plea. >> i thought it was a

nbc's tom costello has been looking into that. tom, have we seen any impact yet? >> reporter: lester, good evening. pump prices today are stable, but most analysts do predict we will see gas prices jump like 10 to 25 cents a gallon over the coming weeks as saudi arabia tries to recover from the attacks. the national average right now $2.55 a gallon it will be a lot more out on the west coast, less down south. here is good news, we are now paying on average 30 cents less per gallon than a year ago. in addition, the united states now produces more oil than saudi arabia that makes us far less dependent on foreign oil than we were in years' past. president trump said he'll tap the petroleum reserve if necessary to stabilize gas prices however, the united states pump prices are going to be exposed to and vulnerable to the world oil market if there's another attack, that could send pump prices even higher lester >> tom watching the oil prices tonight, thank you. >>> in maine today a scene of complete destruction after a building exploded killing the fire captain and inj

nbc's tom costello tells us more. miami courtroom today, 60-year-old abdul alani, a 31-year veteran mechanic a american airlines, federal marshals allege he sabotaged the adm on a 737 the adm is critical in calculating the plane's speed and pitch. the plane was preparin when the pilots powered up the engines, they received an error message and the te in court documents, investigators say alani was captured on security cameras and admitted to the sabotage explaining his intent was not to cause harm to the aircraft or its passengers instead it was to cause a delay or have the flight canceled in anticipation of obtaining overtime work alani allegedly said he was upset over bitter labor dispute between american and the mechanics union that had affected hi financially. >> this is the worst threat because the insider, that individual has access to the airport, the aircraft, oftentimes the ability to bypass screening function >> reporter: late today, american sent a letter to employees of support writing we consider them to

max is allowed to fly many of the changes involve how pilots react to an emergency here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: after two fatal crashes and 346 fatalities, the ntsb says boeing underestimated the panic and chaos inside the 737 max cockpit. when multiple alerts and alarms warned of immediate danger crash investigators call it alert overload pilots unable to prioritize which alerts to handle first boeing used veteran test pilots to determine how they'd respond to a single failure rather than the many failures the max pilots faced. >> we want the pilots to make sure that they are focusing on those things that will keep the airplane safe and not those things that will distract you and kill you. >> reporter: now the ntsb wants the faa and boeing to use average airline pilots from around the world in simulator testing. in a statement boeing tells nbc news, we are committed to working with the faa in reviewing the ntsb recommendations. meanwhile, the faa remains under scrutiny for how it originally certified the max. a whistle-blower claims some faa inspectors were not qualified. the faa

return to the airport in denver because part of the engine was exposed during the flight nbc's tom costello covers aviation for us. tom what more can you tell us. >> reporter: good morning, craig. this was a flight from denver to florida, a boeing 737, and the left engine, the casing began to peelnervous. >> scary momen that made a lot of passengers nervous. scary moments sunday on board a united airlines flight headed from denver to orlando >> the engine panel has become detached from the airplane. >> the plane with 196 people on board was forced to turn around when part of the engine appeared to shake violently >> what was the emergency? >> there's an engine panel that's come off the side of the airplane. >> a passenger posting this video online, showing a piece of the boeing 737's left engine cover appearing to detach in midair, frightening those on board. a similar incident occurred last year when the casing blew off one of the engines on a united flight from san francisco to honolulu that plane, a triple 7 also made an emergency landing with this latest frightening flight, passengers d

. >> tom costello reporting there. it appears to stem out of the frustration over a five-year labor dispute. nbc reached out to his family but got no immediate response. >>> all right. get ready for a loud opening night at san francisco's new chase center. take a look at it there. tonight the new warriors arena will open. here is a live picture we want to show you of the chase center. it's going to be rocking in a few hours because metallica is taking the stage with the san francisco symphony. if you are going to the show, public0 parking ststhe chase are for the vips. if you take muni show your ticket to ride for free and use the e ticket on your phone. bart will get you there from the 16th street missi embarcadero stations. the closest ferry service is at pier 48, pier 52 and the ferry building. >>> coming up for you here, stephon clark's family reaches a settlement with the setty tcit sacramento. >>> the affects of vaping, health officials warn it is becoming an epidemic among teenager te linked to the e-cigarettes.

tom costello covers aviation for us tom, what more do we know about this >> reporter: good morning. this happened back in july the mechanic is expected today in a federal court in miami. the fbi launched an investigation, with the help of federal air marshals, that not only leads to serious charges but highlights a very real threat to aviation security. abdul-majeed marouf ahmed alani is a 31 year veteran of american airlines with no reported history of trouble on thursday, the airline mechanic was charged with damaging, destroying, or disabling an aircraft by tampering with the air data module, or adm, which reports critical data to pilots. a boeing 737 like this one was scheduled to fly from miami to the bahamas on july 17th when the pilots noticed a problem on the ground, aborted the flight, and returned to the gate 150 passengers boarded another plane and completed their trip overnight, american airlines released a statement in part, we are taking this matter very seriously. at the time of the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service, maintenance was performed, and after

nbc's tom costello is outside one of the company stores in northern virginia. hey, tom good morning >> reporter: good morning. so this decision is very big ammunition is no longer going to be sold at walmart for handguns and also for assault style weapons. this decision comes as the number of mass shootings in this country, multiple people shot, as that number hits nearly 300 so far this year the word from walmart's ceo to employees, the status quo is unacceptable >> go, go, come on >> reporter: citing recent shootings, including those that claimed the lives of two dozen people at or near walmarts in el paso, texas and southaven, mississippi. now, the retail giant is taking steps it hopes will curb gun violence, halting the sale of ammunition that can be used in large capacity clips in military style weapons, stopping the sale of handgun ammo and ending all sales in alaska. walmart stopped selling the ar-15, a decision from 2015. walmart calling on congress to strengthen background checks with the company's ceo writing to congressional leaders, we believe we hav

guys, back to you. >> tom costello in d.c., thanks. >>> we have an update on that serious car accidentolving comedian kevin hart as the star ntinueto recover from his injuries. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: 911 calls released by police are shedding new light on that crash. they were made by a bystander at the scene and a woman believed to be kevin hart's wife. >> reporter: this morning, four days after the accident, police sources familiar with the matter tell nbc news the investigation remains ongoing after a late night ride involving one of hollywood's biggest stars. >> he was in a car accident earlier tonight or what happened? >> yes. earlier tonight. i don't know what happened. he's not coherent at all. >> reporter: hours after the crash, a woman identifying herself as kevin's wife called 911. >> did he get treatment, go to the hospital? >> reporter: no, no. no treatment at all. we're just here. he can't move. >> is the any obvious broken bones? anything broken? >> something on his back is pulling out on his spine. >> reporter: that initial

. >> tom costello traveled to philadelphia to see how the eagles are turning into advocates. f philadelphia, 70,000 fans are screaming and cheering, and stomping their feet. it can be exhilarating and invigorating but if you are somebody with autism up in the stands, this can all be deafening and overwhelming while eagles fan make lincoln financial field one of the rowdiest, loudest stadiums on game day, fans with autism who can be sensitive to loud noises now have a space of their own. the eagles partnered with children's hospital to create one of the first fully certified sensory rooms at a sports stadium where kids and adults can come when they're overwhelmed by the noises and stress of the games with soothing features and staff with trained professionals to create a haven for fans who love their team but may be a bit overwhelmed by the stadium experience. >> it's awesome. my favorite thing to do is to go to an eagles game, so now knowing that i can bring my best friend, it's great. >> that ability to come to a place like this where you know that there's going to be the sup

tom costello joins us from washington with more on walmart's policy changes. ust be cloor about this. what is changing at walmart in terms of guns? >> reporter: so they will no longer be selling ammunition that can be used in an assault style weapon. they don't carry assault style weapons anymore. they will no longer be selling ammunitions for hand gugunhandg. in alaska, they're going to stop that all together. in addition, they're asking people who live in these open carry states, please do not bring your weapon anymore. do not carry a weapon into a walmart or a sam's club. you may recall a couple of days after the incident in el paso, there was that character in missouri who walked into a walmart wearing body armor, fatigues, and an ak over his shoulder just kind of strolling through the walmart. that prompted an emergency response, a firefighter -- offduty firefighter held the suspect at gun point until police arrived. there is this feeling at walmart, just an overall sense of in the words of the ceo, he says we simply have to do better. quote -- sorry as i

nbc's tom costello has been talking to experts he's in bethesda, maryland. hey, tom, what do you think? >> reporter: yeah, about 10 to 25 cents within the next week or two say the experts. as we all know, oil shot up about 15% yesterday, very sensitive to what happens in the markets and what's happening geopolitically gas prices are sure to rise, but how much really depends on what happens next it may be a world away but the ripple effect may soon arrive at a gas station near you saturday's attacks took out 5% of the global oil supply sending world oil prices surging. within days experts predict pump prices will also start edging higher >> consumers could face steeper hikes than $0.o gallon and it could last to anksgiving. >> reporter: at the end of monday, gas was averaging $2.57, 30 cents cheaper than a year ago. if prices do jump by 30 cents, that would put prices back to where they were this time last year the u.s. is less dependent on foreign oithan ionce was todathe u.s. is the world's biggesprodt oil er with a whpinl total. saudi arabia produces 12%, f

nbc's tom costello has that story. talk about on the job training. >> pretty stressful.r the weekend. a medical emergency. the instructor slumped over. the student pilot radioed air traffic control for help the trouble, he'd actually never landed a plane before. >> emergency, emergency, emergency. >> reporter: inside a small two-seater cessna, max sylvester was suddenly in real trouble 2,000 feet in the air, his flight instructor was apparently having a heart attack. >> are they unconscious? >> he's leaning over my shoulder i'm trying to keep him up, but he keeps falling down. >> reporter: a controller on the ground had to get max down safely >> do you know how to operate the airplane >> very, very -- this is my first lesson >> reporter: in fact, it was max's third lesson, but he'd never flown that plane before, and never landed on his own. >> first thing we're going to do is make sure the wings stay level and that you keep consistent speed and consistent altitude >> reporter: with firefighters standing by, max's family could only watch and wait. >> you're doing really,

tom of the list was leslie costello, beth's college friend leslie lives in san diego and was eager to meet beth's new beau but she was less than impressed. >> he was very informal. i didn't understand him. >> the trip ended badly. >> they were in a taxi and he had a temper tantrum and i guess she said let us off here. whatever she said. he turned and yelled at her and she said it was a little bit scary. >> and he was drinking. >> she said he had eight beers by the time they got to the airport and got on the plane. >> bernadette said on the way home tom asked beth what her friends thought of him. he said something chilling during the exchange that followed. something that troubled her so much she told bernadette about it right away. >> he said what did they say about me? she said something like they thought you were really sophisticated and charming and this and that and he said under his breath, boy, i really should have been an actor. and she said that just went into her gut. >> it was at that point perhaps that she began asking who was the real tom toolan? she told family and friend