Impacted to apply for federal assistance. You can go to disasterassistance. Gov and for people missing Family Members, there are still hundreds missing. They have set up a Family Assistance Center at the community center, about 2 miles from where we are right now. Were at kings cathedral, another shelter where they have about 30 to 40 people still inside because so many people are actually starting to move to hotel rooms. They set aside 500 rooms for people most impacted. The sad things is not knowing for Family Members who are desperate to know what happened to their loved one. We have talked to people about what this whole ordeal has been like for them. Take a listen to what one resident had to say . We have been to a lot of hotels inside lahaina, but none of them are there. So we have been to the police station. We called red cross, anywhere that we can find them, but nothing. No zero. So worried about everybody. Hopefully youre still alive. Reporter and thats a hope for so many Family Members. The sad part about it is theres so many bodies out there, the government is asking those loved ones to submit dna samples so they can try to quickly identify those bodies. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Theres already a Class Action Lawsuit in the works that has been filed against hawaiian electric. They claim that they may be responsible for the start of this fire. Hawaiian electric has responded saying they do not comment on pending litigation, and they also note that the cause of the fire has not been determined. Chris. The road ahead is long and very very difficult. Dana griffin, thank you. Nbcs emilie ikeda is following the devastating Home Explosion in southwest pennsylvania that left five dead, another in critical condition. What more do we know now, emily . Reporter were learning more about the victims of this devastating Home Explosion, including five people. Two of them were learning the identities, father and son, casey and keegen klontz, they were described as inseparable, loving, devoted, lovers of the outdoors. You can imagine the heartbreak in the community that continues to wash over this neighborhood after a deadly explosion leveled, completely shredding three homes behind me. Also the force of the blast damaging at least another dozen homes on saturday morning when this blast happened. Still, so many unanswered questions. You can see the damage stretches across the neighborhood. I spoke with one man who is recounting the harrowing morning on saturday. He heard this explosion. He thought it was a bomb, and then he stepped outside to what he described as a war zone. He actually helped pool one of his that i said from the rubble. He says that individual is now in critical condition. Heres more from him, take a listen. Houses are just dilapidated, falling apart. If you imagine almost a bomb going off in front of your house. And its not clear when gas will be restored in this community. But Peoples Gas Company says that in an initial review, they did not find any issues. Its system had been working, operating as designed, they say, but the investigation into the cause of this deadly explosion could take months, Officials Say, if not years. For reference, there was a previous House Explosion in plum borough here last year, and that injured a family of five. The cause in that explosion has yet to be determined. A long road ahead for this community. Thank you for that. Democratic lawmakers are calling for an end to texass bussing of migrants after a 3yearold died on the way to chicago. Nbcs Julia Ainsley is with me. This 3yearold was one of 30,000 migrants Governor Abbott has sent across the state. This bus was destined to chicago. We understand this 3yearold started exhibiting symptoms of a fever and had diarrhea and lost consciousness. Texas says that the people on the bus, operators called 911, but that it was too late. This child was deceased, and so now were learning also that the 3yearolds parents, both mother and father were with him or her. We dont know the childs gender. We dont know when exactly the child started exhibiting symptoms, and we dont know the nationality. At this point, theres a lot texas is not saying. They do say, you know, every loss of life is a tragedy, but they pointed to the fact that in all of these buses, customs and Border Protection does an initial medical screening of anyone getting on these buses and that they didnt find any problems with this child or anyone on the bus, and they said that investigators then went and checked the vitals of the people on the bus, and found they didnt have any problems. Its texass way of saying read between the lines, its not the fault of the bus. We know democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates say these conditions are squalid. People are traveling across the country, cities like chicago, new york, l. A. , and theyre not able to get off, take a shower, get maybe perhaps the hydration they need, and theyre really worried about these conditions as these migrants sign up. Sometimes not knowing just how far theyll be going, chris. Julia ainsley, thank you for that. Now to nbcs ali vitali. With the walk back from robert f. Kennedy jr. With his stance on abortion rights. This started with a question you asked him, and he answered. Tell us where this stands now, and what the whole picture tells us about abortion as a Campaign Issue in 24. Look, you and i have talked as recently as early last week from ohio about the salience of this issue, and how important its been in moving metrics for voters across the country, since the Supreme Court overturned the roe v. Wade precedent. In washington where i typically spend my time, thats been a focus of democratic lawmakers from the white house to the hill, seeking a way to codify the protections that were offered by roe at the federal level. They dont have the numbers in congress to do it. I did ask robert f. Kennedy jr. Who was a long shot and controversial candidate for democratic contender this cycle if he would move forward, trying to push those protections and codify them into federal law. I asked that question plainly, would you back federal protections for roe, this is what the exchange turned into. Watch. I believe that a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life. You would cap it at 15 weeks . Yes. Or 21 weeks. Three months. So three months. You would sign a federal cap on that . Yes, i would. Reporter so not unlimited access to abortion . Once a child is viable outside the womb, i think then the state has an interest in protecting that child. Reporter so theres a few things here, chris. First, Fetal Viability is 24 weeks, initially he said three months, does that mean 15, 21 weeks, but certainly this stance puts him out of step with where the Democratic Party is at large, and makes him sound like the republican candidates i cover, than the democrats. In the immediate hours after that interview, we did hear from the kennedy campaign. In a statement they said that mr. Kenly misunderstood a question posed to him by an nbc reporter in a crowded, Noisy Exhibit at the iowa state fair, and went on to say its always a womans right to choose, and he does not support legislation banning abortion. They chose the location of our interview, and you see in this exchange that we had repeated questions. It goes on even longer than what i showed you, and where in mr. Kennedy is the one who makes the delineation about three months and we continued to press him from there. I like your optimism that you normally are in washington because we are going into an election year. Always good to see you my friend. Yeah. Well, 5. 6 billion is the starting estimate to rebuild the community turned ash by wildfires in maui. In 60 seconds, ill talk to a spokesperson for the American Red Cross about the Jaw Dropping Damage and the challenges of getting aid to that part of the island. Hallenges of getting aid to that part of the island voltaren. The joy of movement. Mr. Clean magic eraser powers through tough messes. So it makes it look like i spent hours cleaning, and you know i didnt. It makes my running shoe look like new its amazing. Its so good. It makes it look like i have magical powers. Magic eraser and sheets make cleaning look easy. Right now as the devastation in maui unfolds, its increasingly grim, were Hearing Stories as Search And Rescue teams, residents there face the huge human loss after the ravaging wildfires. Their friends are dead, dogs, animals is dead. Theres dead people in the water. Cell phones are ringing in bodies theyre finding. When we pick up the remains and they fall apart. When you have 200 people running through the scene yesterday, i dont know how much more you want me to describe it. Thats what youre stepping on. And now the people of lahaina have been told not even to drink Running Water because it may be contaminated, even after boiling, and its not just the water. Its the air as well. The blaze produced toxic fumes as homes, cars and pipes burned, transforming rubber, metal and plastic into poisonous smoke. Hawaiis State Toxicologist warns it could take weeks or months to clean up the pollutants. The mayor is Warning Lahaina is not safe. Its a hazardous area. Joining me now the spokesperson for the American Red Cross, todd james. Thank you for being with us. There isnt a private organization with more experience with these kinds of disaster than the red cross. When you look at this in the context of so many that you have responded to, what do you see as the scope of the challenges for maui right now . Our hearts are breaking for everybody. Chris, our hearts are broken for everybody thats been affected by this of course. It is a huge disaster. And its going to be a very long recovery. You know, right now, it is still unfolding. They are still battling hot spots and folks that are having to leave their homes now as fires spring up. Our focus continues to be on the entire community. This has been such a traumatic event for them. Update me if i dont have the latest numbers, but i read that you have more than 220 trained Disaster Workers helping now with more on the way. What do you see as the greatest need . One of our reporters just talked to someone who has been calling and calling and calling, looking for a place to live, including the red cross, and said there just isnt anywhere to go. What do you know about the status of trying to provide help and will you get more people in there . Well, helping out on this operation so far, and definitely more on the way. We have also seen hundreds of local folks stepping up. Theyre being trained and helping us out in our efforts as we move forward. Our focus will continue to be right also, we have a shelter on oahu, and make sure they have access to meals, to information and resources from our partners in the community. That are going to be helping with the recovery and helping now with the response. So thats going to go on for as long as is needed. Just to come and stay the night, we have a lot of people who have a place to stay, but during the day theyll come in for a meal, to charge their phone, to talk with people. Counselors, Disaster Mental Health team are doing an amazing job of working with were going to try to get todd james back, but in the meantime, i want to thank him, and obviously the red cross for all they do and bring in president ial historian and professor of history at rice university, douglas brinkley, he is author of the book silent Spring Revolution john f. Kennedy, rachel carson, Richard Nixon, and the great environmental awakening. Its so good to have you here. Im sorry were talking about this, doug. You and i ran into each other last week and had a little conversation. Look, you have written for years and years about conservation and about climate. So let me just ask you a big Picture Question to start. As someone who has lived in this world essentially, when you look at whats happening in hawaii, what do you see, doug . Another wildfire in the hottest summer on record. We had fires ripping through europe, horrific ones this summer. Western canada has been hit. Last summer, a historic wildfires in california. We are living in the age of Climate Change, and our, you know the fact of the matter is the amount of drought, dry weather, heat fueled this. So i feel that President Biden needs to call hawaii a climate emergency. Were always careful not to and i wrote about hurricane katrina, and i didnt call it a climate emergency, but its clear theres so much thing as climate denying. We have a National SecurityGlobal Crisis due to co 2, Fossil Fuel Emissions. The planet is heating up, and communities arent really ready with evacuation plans, how to, you know, gear when these unexpected Natural Disaster hit your local communities simply because of the hot weather creates all sorts of problems. I know that you are in the Majority Opinion now, that Climate Deniers have largely been silenced, but here we had, again, a republican president ial candidate who was talking about Climate Change in iowa this weekend. I want to play that for you, doug. You know, wherever you stand on Climate Change, i think most of the Climate Change agenda, im just going to say it, is a hoax. Im going to call that what it is. A hoax, calling it, he says what it is. Can that small number of deniers continue and are you worried theyll continue to have an impact on policy that, as youve pointed out, many people believe needs to change and fast . I do worry about that, that type of irresponsible comment, the hoax word is still being applied to this. In 1960, when john f. Kennedy was president and running for president , Time Magazine picked their scientist as people of the year. Suddenly now, with a group of hard right conservatives, they act like science doesnt matter. They can make up their own facts and data. They dont want to listen to the experts. No president has done a great job in Climate Change. Ive written about, in history, 1958, roger ravel, Lyndon Johnson talked about the problems of co 2 emissions. Famously, Daniel Patrick moynahan wrote Richard Nixon a letter saying this is looking to be very real, guys, which means goodbye, miami, goodbye, new york, what happens to seattle is unknown, and every president has tried to deal with climate, but not enough. Perhaps in 2000, if al gore, would have beat george w. Bush, that he would have prioritized climate. But since then, everybody does something. I mean, joe biden, oneyear anniversary, infrastructure, massive climate agenda, great for biden. Its really remarkable what hes done. Nevertheless, the language that people have, as were speaking, chris, in montana, just moments ago, a group of Young Americans won a case that they have a right to live with clean air and clean water, and that Climate Change and Fossil Fuel Emissions is damaging their life quality, so youre getting a Youth Movement growing. Were in a new wave now, i believe, triggered by all of the weird conditions of this summer, getting young people engaged where they are elevateding the Climate Issue to the very top of the political agenda. In fact, your book talks about the ways that the u. S. Failed to act on Climate Change, the things that happened, that frankly are fascinating, and i recommend the book to folks. I do think a lot of people who want to do something are wary of the courts. Its interesting that you bring up montana, particularly in this political environment. Is that the way forward . What is the way forward for individuals, doug, who feel like, if i have to wait for government to take action, i need to do something myself right now. The best question of all, they have to let their voices be heard. I mean, in the 1960s. It was the Peoples Movement that banned ddt, that gave us the clean air and water acts of that era, that gave us 50 years ago, the Environmental Protection agency, and you know, Endangered Species had passed the senate, 920. That washingtons not there now. We are in a divide. Youre either considered an environmentalist or youre part of the energy sector. And this is unfortunate, so states have to do things. You see gavin newsom stepping up in california. You see Auto Companies trying to find ways to get off fossil fuels quickly, people trying to do away with coal. You see a great uptick, good news is an uptick in solar and wind power throughout the country. I recently saw the biggest Offshore Wind Power Facility in rhode island, which is, you know, remarkable p