Mission to prevent a reallife Asteroid Armageddon Announcer this is Nbc Nightly News with lester holt good evening just a short time ago the suspect in the deadly rampage i waukesha, wisconsin, appeared in court. At the same time, we learned from the prosecutor a child victim has apparently died Darrell Brooks facing five counts of intentional homicide with a sixth now pending tonight. Hes accused of speeding through crowds of marchers and spectators in a Holiday Parade leaving several children among the Dozens Injured center to this tragedy for many in the shattered community, not only why Darrell Brooks allegedly drove onto the parade route on sunday, but why he was free at the time tonight his lengthy criminal history turned microscope as new video emerges, appearing to show brooks minutes after the rampage ended. Megan fitzgerald is in waukesha reporter tonight, the man at the center of a horrific tragedy in waukesha, wisconsin, appearing before a judge for the first time this is case number 21cf reporter 39yearold Darrell Brooks charged wit five counts of intentional homicide after allegedly plowing through a Christmas Parade sunday evening, killing five people, injuring 62 others and tonight the prosecutors saying more charges are pending after the confirmation of a sixth death, an 8yearold boy new images from a doorbell camera a short distance from the parade route appears to show brooks asking a homeowner to call an uber can you call an uber, please im homeless reporter not long after, Police Moving in moments before making an arrest Court Documents show brooks has a decadeslong criminal history, including arrests for sexual abuse, Drugs Battery and Domestic Violence just this month he was arrested for allegedly running over his childs mother but was released from jail just days ago after posting a 1,000 bond. Its clearly a breakdown in the criminal Justice System to release man with his record on 1,000 bail. Reporter five dead, ranging from 52 to 81 years old. Three of the victims virginia sorenson, known as ginny, leanna owen and Tamara Durand all members of the milwaukee Dancing Grannies who marched in sundays parade, Wilhelm Hospel died while walking alongside them carrying cups of ice oh, my god reporter dozens more injured sunday, including 18 kids rushed to childrens hospital. Ten remained in icu, while the trauma of that day was setting in people screaming everywhere, panic. We just took off running. Reporter Taylor Medrano was at the parade with her 1yearold son and witnessed the horror. Could you feel the car zooming past it was like a brush of wind and all of those kids, it was like they werent even there. We are all waukesha reporter a devastated Community Finding comfort in grieving together. I mentioned at the top of the broadcast, weve gotten late word of a sixth victim. What are you learning . Reporter lester, according to Life Point Church and a gofundme page created by a family member, the 8yearold boy was jackson sparks he underwent Brain Surgery sunday evening but sadly passed away today from his injuries his 12yearold brother was also injured. Lester Megan Fitzgerald tonight, thank you in brunswick, georgia, anxious hours now as a jury weighs the case against three men accused of murder and other charges in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery sam brock is there tonight. Reporter for the family and friends of Ahmaud Arbery, after months of agony, the jury in this case now deliberating i do think that we will come back with a guilty verdict we will get justice for ahmaud reporter at points during the prosecutions rebuttal, graphic photographs of the crime scene, causing Ahmaud Arberys mom to cover her face three men in this case face nine charges, including aggravated assault and murder with Malice Aforethought which can be formed in an instant. It has nothing to do with anger or hatred for a person. Instead, it deal exclusively with the concept of intent, intent to kill, intent to cause serious bodily harm. Reporter the prosecutor telling the jury a selfdefense claim cannot apply when you create the danger and confront an unarmed victim this isnt the wild west he moved toward mr. Arbery with a gun. Reporter a message they hope sticks with the jury whats potentially the power of these last two hours being the final thing the jury will hear before they start deliberating she had a fresh jury the jury has had all the evidence, and so its great that right before they go into deliberation theyll hearing from the prosecution making their case and hopefully get a Conviction Reporter throughout the trial, the Defens Staking its case on a series of Neighborhood Burglaries they say the three defendants were trying to peacefully confront a man they believed was at least trespassing. These are real experiences of real people who were very scared, and so they took it upon themselves to do something about it reporter now the fates of three men and the families devastated by their actions hanging in the balance. So, sam, whats the plan for this jury now . Will they be deliberating throughout the thanksgiving week . Reporter lester, originally it was thought the jurors might recess early for the holiday, but now the Sheriffs Department says they have the option to deliberate throughout the week, the holiday, friday, maybe even saturday they almost went tonight, lester, but will be back at 8 30 in the morning. Sam brock, thank you. Tonight, as tens of millions of americans hit the road for thanksgiving, the white house is tapping the Strategi Petroleum reserve to help drive down gas prices tom costello tonight on when we might see prices drop. Reporter its the largest release ever of the u. S. Strategic petroleum reserve, or the spr. The president tapping 50 Million Barrels hoping to drive down prices at the pump it will take time, but before long you should see the price of gas drop where you fill up your tank. Reporter but 50 Million Barrels is roughly the equivalent of what americans go through every two and a half days. The spr is normally reserved for emergencies like wars or hurricanes that disrupt the National Supply this is the first major release for a nonemergency. The United States coordinating a Global Response to rising fuel prices, partnering with india, japan, south korea, the united kingdom, and china to also release more oil, hoping to force opec to pump more to meet demand critics are going to charge the president with making a political than economic move because a move of this size is unlikely to help gas prices in the long term unleaded is averaging 3. 40 a gallon a year ago it was 2. 10 during the economic slowdown. If youre driving from here in tampa to atlanta, thats 456 miles. The typical car averages 25 miles per gallon so a year ago you would have paid 38 in gas. Today, 62 they are really high, you know what can we do, you know hang in there. Reporter the president accuses the Oil And Gas Industry of Price Gouging americans just as 48 million are driving over thanksgiving. Meanwhile, across the country today mostly clear skies and packed airports the tsa screening more than 2 Million People each day since friday, the highest since the pandemic began sunday will bring the most passengers yet. And today the tsa chief tells nbc news 93 of Screening Officers are now vaccinated those who arent will not face immediate termination. We arent going to pull any unvaccinated people off the line, and i expect to have no impact whatsoever for thanksgiving travel or through december for the travel periods there reporter welcome news as many families gather for their first thanksgiving in two years. Tom, i know to most of us it sounds like a lot of petroleum and fusil the president wants released what are the chances well actually see a drop, a dramatic drop in pump prices reporter experts really expect this is going to be a modest decline over the coming weeks, nothing dramatic they say its going to take an increase in supply to address and meet the global, global demand. That could take a long time lester tom costello, thank you. With more americans traveling this holiday season, many are now racing to get covid Booster Shots as more than half the country faces a spike in new infections Miguel Almaguer has late details for us. Relax, relax, relax. Reporter tonight, the race to vaccinate hitting new benchmarks just as travel begins to surge and new infections start to mount. For three weeks, average inoculations have topped more than 1 million a day for the First Time Since spring and now its Booster Shots making up the majority of jabs, with thanksgiving and family gatherings two days away. Not only do boosters work, they work even better than the peak dose, the peak response after the second dose. Reporter it comes just as new infections and hospitalizations climb nationwide, pushing some e. R. S back to the brink all over again but despite the troubling trend, dr. Tyson bell says there are ways to protect your family for the holidays for my family, everyone who is eligible, who is gathering is going to be vaccinated. Im having a smaller gathering than i would normally have, five or six adults, and everyone has taken a rapid test before they come reporter while pcr tests remain the most accurate, fairly inexpensive, and he toes use athome test kits can provide another laye of protection with the white house spending 3 billion to quadruple supply from september to december, major Pharmacies Tel nbc news demand has been high for weeks. The rapid tests are not the gold standard, theyre not perfect, but theyre a good layer to add to the other measures youre doing to try to keep people safe. Reporter tonight for dr. Bell and families nationwide, moving from virtual to personal, a way to safely gather just in time for the holidays. Miguel almaguer, nbc news the highprofile civil trial over violence at the 2017 Unite The Right rally in charlottesville, virginia, has ended in a split verdict. The jury ordered White Nationalist leaders and organizers to pay more than 25 million in damages, but jurors were deadlocked on the most serious counts to federal conspiracy charges. In flint, michigan, two people are dead after a home exploded in that city last night the blast was captured on a neighbors Home Security camera. Officials say the victims were a 4yearold girl and a 55yearold woman. At least 30 structures in that neighborhood were damaged in just 60 seconds, inside the Supply Chain Bottleneck how its affecting an iconic americanmade toy enjoyed by generations of kids right before the holidays one month after his remains were found in a florida nature reserve, a Medical Examiner said today that Brian Laundrie died from a selfinflicted gunshot wound. The fbi has said that laundrie was a Person Of Interest in the death of his fiancee, gabby petito lets turn to race to deliver, our series this week on the Supply Chain Problems we are all dealing with tonight, how a signature american product so many of us know and love is being hurt logistically. Jo ling kent has a toy story. Reporter in the woods of northern maine, the transformation of trees into toys is going strong this is the first step in the process. Reporter from the saw mill to the crafting to the sorting, theyre at full speed for the holidays business for us has been really good reporter randy dicker sr. Loved lincoln logs as a kid. Now he runs the American Factory that manufacturers the iconic toy and hes facing a Labor Shortage whats the hardest job to fill at the factory . All of them we have open, everybody is just as important as the other. It has created a very difficult environment for us to be able to operate at the Efficiency Levels that we normally operate at reporter despite the challenges, dicker says toy production isnt the problem. While theres no shortage of these lincoln logs, theres also no guarantee that theyre going to make it to you in time for the holidays, and thats because of delays further along in the supply chain. Basic fun owns lincoln logs and tells us theyre running like mad to fill shelves for christmas, one of the holdups the little plastic windows and doors in each set theyre made in china. Theres some thats on the water in china still waiting. Theres others on a train coming across the country, and theres product already in the factory, but we also have to wait and make sure th boxes get printed and the Instruction Manuals get printed. Reporter the logistics delays now stretch between four and eight weeks. Theres only four weeks left till christmas. Is the goose cooked . Absolutely. If the product isnt being unloaded on a container today, theres literally no chance that it can make it into a store shelf. Anything thats sitting in china or on the water, you know, its next years christmas toys reporter back in maine, the factory keeps on churning, ready and waiting to build a little more holiday magic. Jo ling kent, nbc news, burnham, maine a toy that once brought me a lot of joy as a kid you will find much more on why so many items are hard to find in an indepth report on nbcnews. Com well take a break up next, the lawyer who says facebook is responsible fo teenage girls being pulled into sex trafficking. After more than 42 i see trees of green red roses too i see them bloom for me and you music so i think to myself oh what a Wonderful World after more than 42 years behind bars, a man who has always maintained he was wrongly convicted is now free a missouri judge set aside Kevin Stricklands 1979 Triple Murder Conviction after a prosecutor argued the evidence was later disproven or recanted. Strickland was 18 when the crime happened hes now 62. The Supreme Court is being asked to take up a texas case aimed at facebook, alleging Sex Traffickers are using the platform to lure young victims kate snow spoke with the attorney taking on the social media giant. An update on facebook litigation. Reporter houston attorney Annie Mcadams is waging an unprecedented fight against facebook what do you think facebook thought when you filed this suit initially . Probably underestimated me, which i welcome at any time what did you think when you filed the suit i thought that they should buckle up reporter a busy mom and personal injury attorney, a few years ago she started being asked to represent teens who had been sold for sex. It didnt matter where the client was from the one thing that they all shared was the role of social media or technology in their trafficking case connecting them to the trafficker without a doubt. Reporter mcadams sued facebook on behalf of jane doe when did you get on facebook i would say about 13 we agreed not to show her full face when she was 16, an older man sent a Friend Request when i was younger it was about who had the most friends, so its, like, anybody who would send you a request, just add them reporter he said she could make 2,000 a week modeling. After a fight with her mom, she met him. He took my phone so i couldnt run away. I didnt know where i was. Reporter at this hotel, he took suggestive photos and posted them online within hours, men were paying to rape her i feel like i lost a part of my childhood then its something that will live on with me forever. You filed this suit three years ago. Whats happened since . Delay after delay, appeal after appeal. Reporter facebook argues the case should be thrown out, that the company is shielded by sectio 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency act, long interpreted by courts to mean social media sites are not legally responsible for the content users post but mcadams alleges facebook and its algorithms are part of the problem. What were looking at here is the independent actions that facebook actually takes to connect these predators with these children and how they profit from the connections that happen as a result of that reporter facebooks parent company, meta, says Human Trafficking is abhorrent and is not allowed on our platforms. We use technology to thwart this kind of abuse. It also says the company is on track to spend more than 5 billion this year alone on safety and security but despite the companys defense, mcadams and her team have won some victories all of the way through texas Supreme Court. Have you gone further than any other case yes weve gone the farthest. Reporter now she and 25 other State Attorneys General are asking the u. S. Supreme court to reexamine the law changing the law is only a Case Away Reporter a meta official say facebook will file tomorrow opposing a Supreme Court review the way the case is going, i feel very hopeful. Reporter but jane doe wants the highest court to take her case we will keep having these problems unless something is changed, and if its not, then youll be sitting with another me probably three years from now reporter kate snow, nbc news, houston. Up next, the spacecraft on a Collision Course nasas historic mission. Finally, something that hollywood could have created, but happening tonight in real life. Morgan chesky on nasas Collision Course with an asteroid reporter blowing up an earthending asteroid made the movi armageddon a smash hit. This new one youre tracking, how big . The size of texas, mr. President. Reporter tonight, science telling hollywood, step aside for a mission made for the big screen this is the first time spacex has taken a nasa spacecraft and intentionally launched it on a trajectory to escape earth and crash it into an asteroid. Reporter this asteroid isnt headed our direction, but nasa scientists want to ram it using a spacecraft that will launch atop falcon 9 rocket, all to make an impact more than 6. 5 million miles away what were trying to learn is how to deflect a threat tha would come in. Reporter the goal of the craft, dubbed d. A. R. T. , is intercepting an asteroid calle didymos as wide as the worlds tallest building, the burj khalifa in dubai, an target its secondary body and moonlit called Dimorphose 525 feet wide. Scientists will study smaller Asteroid Orbiting the larger didymos to see how much it changes course when d. R. A. T. Hits this fall. This one is pretty cool, ten months and were going to rendezvous and hit this and put some english into it. Reporter while none are headed our way, they still want to be ready. May we all see these events through with the courage worthy of this challenge. Reporter tonight, all eyes on the mission that could one day save planet earth. Morgan chesky, nbc news. Lets hope it works. We have a vested interest in that thats nightly news for this tuesday thanks for watching. Im lester holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night im raj mathai. How do we stop these Flash Mob Burglaries . We will do whatever it takes to keep San Francisco safe. Were breaking down the plan today by mayor francisco bodine. Elizabeth holmes is back on the stand. The first time she talks about her boyfriend. The president promising relief at the pump. I will do whatever it takes to lessen the price at the pump. How much impact will it have here in california . Good evening, this is nbc bay area news