the writer who lived in hiding for years under death threats from iran, flown to the hospital what police just said about the suspect. the fbi revealing the gunman who attacked an ohio field office was on its radar but it was unable to find and interview him. his disturbing online trail and more on his links to january 6th what warning signs were missed. also tonight, what health officials are calling an alarming discovery. the poliovirus in new york city. the potential risk including paralysis, especially for children and actress anne heche, her death at 53 a week after crashing her car into a home. the message from her heartbroken family >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening i'm tom llamas in for lester tonight we start with that breaking news our first look at the search warrant used to seize those highly classified document the fbi found inside former president trump's mar-a-lago residence.

that unprecedented search turning up sensitive documents, four even labeled top secret and meant to be viewed only in highly secured facilities tonight what we're finding out about what else was found including 27 boxes, information about the president of france, clemency papers for top trump confidante roger stone and binders of photos. all of it fuelling questions tonight about what will happen next with a document stating agents were searching for evidence of violating three laws including part of the espionage act. tonight's revelation book ending a week that began with the hours-long search. we have it all covered tonight and we begin with kelly o'donnell in washington. >> reporter: tonight government secrets recovered. nbc news obtained and later a federal magistrate unsealed the search and seizure warrant that made history this week. as fbi agents removed 11 sets of classified documents from the florida estate of former president donald trump his lawyer signed the

receipt that lists each box removed among the 27 boxes seized, a set of documents marked top secret, sensitive, compartmented information. that's material that can be only viewed in a secure facility where no cellphones are permitted, a room with special defenses designed to prevent foreign eavesdropping. other documents removed were marked at different security levels, top secret, secret and confidential an alarming detail, the warrant said fbi agents were pursuing national defense information. the court filing shows investigators had probable cause related to three federal laws including violations of the espionage act >> it is a statute that has been used in prior criminal prosecutions of individuals who are in unlawful possession of classified information, and that's a pretty shocking thing to see undergirding a search warrant focused on a

former president of the united states. >> reporter: "the washington post" reports that agents were looking for classified documents about nuclear weapons according to people familiar with the investigation. in a social media post, the former president has disputed that, stating nuclear weapons issue is a hoax consequential events never seen before, a former president and his private enclave under scrutiny, an attorney general saying he signed off on the search. >> i personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant. >> reporter: the court authorized a broad search of the 17-acre estate covering all storage rooms and all other rooms, all structures or buildings on the estate available to be used by fpotus, the former president and his staff, but excluded areas occupied by private club members while most seized items are described with just a box number, a few reveal more like this

an executive grant of clemency for roger stone. info regarding the president of france. two binders of photos and one handwritten note in a statement, former president trump responds it was all declassified, adding they could have had it any time they wanted without playing politics >> all right kelly o'donnell joins us now from the white house. kelly, the fbi now has their documents back i guess the big question tonight, is that it? was that their goal or to pursue charges? >> reporter: to be determined investigators must review what is inside all these boxes. is it enough government property has been returned the hard way will we learn why the former president kept these things the affidavit in this matter is still sealed and that contains much more about what investigators were pursuing and where this might lead. tom? >> all right still so many

questions tonight. kelly o'donnell leading us off from the white house. i want to bring in our justice correspondent ken dilanian kelly touched upon this in her story, but explain to our viewers what laws does the fbi suspect the former president has broken >> the warrant says the fbi was looking for documents connected to violations o three statutes one makes it illegal to destroy or conceal records in a federal investigation. a second prohibits the unlawful removal of government materials a third, the espionage act, makes it a crime to take national defense information with the intent to harm the united states anyone convicted of any of those could face significant prison time, though it is not clear at all whether the justice department intends to charge trump or anyone else >> ken, the former president, as you know, saying he declassified those documents. does he have a legal argument and will he need proof >> many legal scholars say he doesn't have an argument, tom even though the president has the power to declassify documents at will they believe the declassification has to be documented in some way they say a former president can't just take home state secrets and claim without evidence he declassified them when

he was in office the idea secrecy rules apply to the president has never been tested in court, and some scholars think trump could fend off criminal charges by citing his presidential authority. what is noteworthy about the three laws the fbi cites, tom, is they apply whether or not the records are justified. it is almost as if the justice department was anticipating trump's defense. tom? >> we appreciate that. to other breaking news we are following, the stunning attack in upstate new yor today on famed author salman rushdie who has faced death threats from iran ever since writing a book years ago deemed blasphemous by iran's religious leaders. here is andrea mitchell. >> reporter: it was a scene of chaos, a shocking attack at a nearly 150-year-old artist retreat on the author in upstate new york >> presenter was just attacked on the stage. i need ems >> reporter: author

salman rushdie stabbed on stage before he was to give a lecture. police say that the suspect now in custody is 24-year-old hadi matar, rushed to stage attacking rushdie and his interviewer. police saying rushdie suffered stab wounds to his neck and abdomen. >> we don't have any indication of a motive at this time. >> reporter: an anchor from our pittsburgh nbc station wpxi an eyewitness >> this guy rushes the stage and grabs him and starts punching or stabbing him. >> reporter: a rabbi was in the audience and took this video after the attack >> all i remember seeing at that time was the assailant's arm going up and down, up and down. it looked like mr. rushdie, who began on the chair, ended up on the floor. >> reporter: rushdie has lived with risk to his life since a fatwa or decree in 1989 by then-iran's supreme leader, ayatollah khomeini, that called for his murder rushdie's novel "the satanic verses" was banned in iran deemed blasphemous by the religious fundamentalists. he talked about the threat with nbc's kate

snow in 2020 >> you had to hide for, what, a decade? >> i always thought that the word hiding is very inexact because one of the things anyone who has ever been surrounded by maximum security knows is that it is unbelievably visible. >> reporter: years ago iran's government distanced itself from the fatwa but threats to rushdie continued after being airlifted to a hospital, rushdie was undergoing surgery. >> all right andrea joins us live andrea, we heard it in your story authorities know the name of the suspect but there's still a lot they don't know, including at this point a motive >> absolutely right, tom. the fbi is assisting in this investigation and nbc news learned tonight from a law enforcement source briefed on the investigation that on the suspect's social media he has shown sympathy to the iranian regime including the qassem solemeini commander of iran's military wing of the revolutionary guard who the u.s. killed in 2020 tonight a senior official tells nbc news the fbi is investigating whether the suspect had any connection to the iranian government itself tom? >> all right

andrea mitchell on that shocking attack tonight. andrea, thank you. we are learning more about the thwarted attack on the fbi field office in cincinnati the suspect was apparently known to the fbi and posted violent threats on social media before and during his assault. stephanie gosk with the latest. >> reporter: moments after authorities sa ricky shiffer, clad in body armor, tried to break into the field office in cincinnati there was a post on his social media account. i thought i had a way through bulletproof glass and i didn't if you don't hear from me, it is true i tried attacking the fbi. after the attack with an ar-15-style rifle and a nail gun failed he took off. a high-speed chase ended here in a cornfield where the 42-year-old was killed in a shootout. rob thompson helps run his family's 4,000 acre farm. he watched the whole thing play out from the top of the corn silo a day later there's time to reflect on what he saw. >> it was like any rural, conservative

part of america. there's no place for these kind of extremists out here. >> reporter: rattled to see it in your backyard >> yeah, a little bit. you just don't -- you don't expect to see that out here for sure. >> reporter: authorities have not provided information about shiffer's motive but these photos appear to show him at the u.s. capitol on january 6th, and in the days leading up to the ohio attack he posted online repeatedly using truth social, the social network started by donald trump's media company. shiffer called for violence against federal agents and told people to be ready for combat, similar to many online threats that have been made since the fbi searched trump's mar-a-lago estate on monday >> trump supporters went from being generally angry at investigators for investigating donald trump to specifically mad at fbi agents. that happened shortly after the search of mar-a-lago. >> reporter: in a message to the agency, fbi director christopher wray told employees the security division is staying vigilant given recent

threats, but the fbi will not back down from doing its job stephanie gosk, nbc news, cincinnati and while the trump investigation has claimed much of the spotlight, tonight president biden after months of setbacks is capping a winning week the house gave final congressional approval to that sweeping climate, tax, and prescription drug bill here's kristen welker >> the motion is adopted. >> reporter: tonight democrats celebrating a hard-fought victory, passing the inflation reduction act which will increase taxes on large corporations, allow medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, and it makes massive investments in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. >> it is really a cause for celebration. >> reporter: president biden tweeting, "today the american people won," but republicans are blasting the legislation as reckless spending. >> reject the ballooning of government reject the spending of

things that we don't need with money we don't have ♪ >> reporter: still, the moment caps a week of wins for democrats. on tuesday, president biden signed a bipartisan bill that will pour billions of dollars into u.s. semiconductor production wednesday, he signed the pact act which expands benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, but democrats are facing headwinds heading into the midterms with the economy still the top issue for voters >> you still have millions and millions of americans struggling with the high costs of almost everything. >> reporter: a recent poll shows democrats who were once trailing republicans now making gains in the midterms. 38% of americans say they want democrats in charge of congress while 34% prefer republican control, but with uncertainty about the economy and headlines swirling around his predecessor, can the president keep the momentum going >> how does president biden, who has struggled with messaging, break through? >> yeah, it is really all about repetition every single day talking about the important things that now congress and democrats have done to

improve the lives of voters. >> reporter: all with less than three months until voters weigh in. kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. all right. in 60 seconds the poliovirus detected in new york city wastewater what health officials are now saying tragedy in california family and friends speaking out after anne heche's fiery car crash. stay with us

all right. we are back with a discovery raising alarm among health officials. the poliovirus detected in wastewater here in new york city after a nearby county reported the first polio infection in the u.s. since 2013 officials say only about 86% of young children in new york city have been fully vaccinated against polio and that number is far smaller in other parts of the country. we turn to sad news from hollywood tonight. actress anne heche declared legally dead today a week after her fiery car crash. her car slamming into a los angeles home her grieving family with an emotional message tonight. >> reporter: tonight

actress anne heche is legally dead after a fiery crash in los angeles a week ago her former partner ellen degeneres tweeting, this is a sad day. heche's family says the 53-year-ol suffered an injury that completely cut off oxygen to her brain. heche is on life support as doctors determine what organs can be donated heche's behavior last friday was erratic video obtained by tmz shows what appears to be heche's mini cooper crashing into a garage and speeding away before driving into this los angeles house, setting off a fire that took more than an hour to put out. the renter was able to escape with her pets once extracted, heche was rushed to a hospital where police say an initial blood test showed the presence of narcotics. the actress first made her mark in soap operas >> donna, don't cry. i can't deal with that right now. >> reporter: winning a daytime emmy for best actress in a dual role for nbc's "another world.

she moved to movies in the late '90s working in "donnie brasco," "wag the dog" and "six days seven nights. >> i try to do something different every time i'm on screen that's the fun for me. i like to take on a different persona and different character. >> reporter: at the same time her romance with degeneres put heche in the tabloid spotlight. she said it hurt her career because no major studio would hire her for almost a decade she struggled with mental illness, talking about it in her memoire and interviews >> when i escaped to my fantasy, i escaped to a world of love. >> reporter: heche married once and had two sons tonight one says he hopes his mom is free from pain and exploring her eternal freedom. anne thompson, nbc news okay next we take you on an urgent mission tracking sea turtles on the florida coast the important clues the turtles are telling us about climate change

when you head to florida it may not seem like anything is wrong in the waters off that state where sea turtles lay their eggs, but look more closely and you will find one more devastating effect of global warming here is kerry sanders with our series "climate challenge." >> reporter: early this morning under the light of the super moon, a loggerhead turtle 30 feet from water's edge begins to lay her eggs >> this is always pretty -- pretty fantastic. >> reporter: fantastic, say biologists, because 20 years ago sea turtle

nests were in steep decline, but this year from beaches in virginia south and all along the gulf coast a strong resurgence. it has been a prolific year in just 13 miles along florida's east coast more than 20,000 nests, but there are problems that has everything to do with global climate change. a turtle's sex is determined not by chromosomes, rather it is all about the temperature of the sand >> there's an old saying in the sea turtle community hot chicks cool dudes you tend to end up with more females at warmer temperatures and more male hatchlings at cooler temperatures. >> reporter: researchers say those hatchlings this morning were mostly certainly all female >> we have this high percentage of all-female years. >> reporter: florida atlantic university professor jeanette wyneken says 82 degrees and below you get boys 88 degrees or above you get girls. >> that's a problem

because you have to have boys, plain and simple this is a loggerhead turtle >> this is a green sea turtle. >> reporter: those turtles, threatened species. 15 miles from shore, far from predators lurking on the beach >> we will put him in. >> reporter: scientists with the most endangered of all turtles, the leatherback. >> did we get coordinates? >> reporter: with tiny trackers scientists hope to beat the odds. currently only 1 in 1,000 makes it to adulthood. >> as leatherbacks go, so too do the oceans. the oceans that we, humanity, depend upon. their fate is inextricably linked with our owns. >> reporter: kerry sanders, nbc news, melbourne, florida next, a story we know you will love catching a wave in these dog days of summer

finally, surf's up man's best friend making a big splash at a contest where they're all competing to be top dog. >> reporter: staring out at the ocean, seeing beautiful waves crash, it is a question so many have pondered when it comes to dogs, which dog is the greatest surfer on the planet for the last two years it has been a mystery, the pandemic putting a hold on international competition. but this past week, thousands turned out for the world dog surfing championships. this is no joke. we are talking about pets that can hang ten.

actually, hang 20. just take skyler, a queensland heeler be a pro surfer himself. >> there's a lot of >> reporter: the competitions, like the conditions out here, serious. but it couldn't stop carson, a tiny rescue from los angeles or ripping rosie, living up to her name. derby, a free-styling goldendoodle who is now more advanced than his owner. >> i was learning how to surf and he wanted to try to do it with me he was better than i was. >> reporter: all eyes on the big kahuna, cheri, a french bulldog who just happens to be the reigning champ >> he needs to get dry. >> reporter: with the pressure on and time running out, one dog stood out. >> that dog is skyler. >> reporter: a new king of the beach, skyler >> and there's a rad era of surf dogs going on right now. >> reporter: a rad era of surf dogs is right. a portion of the money raised will go out to help dogs in need,

some on land and others that will continue this epic ride >> and a big congrats to skyler. that's how we leave you, dogs on surfboards that's "nightly news" for this friday. thank you so much for watching i'm tom llamas have a great weekend good night ♪ ♪ ♪♪ there is freedom within ♪

♪ there is freedom without ♪ ♪ try to catch the deluge in a paper cup ♪ ♪ there's a battle ahead ♪ ♪ many battles are lost ♪ ♪ but you'll never see the end of the road ♪ ♪ while you're travelling with me ♪ ♪ hey now hey now ♪ ♪ don't dream it's over ♪ ♪ hey now hey now ♪ ♪ when the world comes in ♪ ♪ they come they come ♪ ♪ to build a wall between us ♪ ♪ we know they won't win ♪ ♪ now i'm towing my car ♪ ♪ there's a hole in the roof ♪ ♪ my possessions are causing me suspicion ♪ ♪ but there's no proof ♪ ♪ in the paper today ♪

♪ tales of war and of waste ♪ ♪ but you turn right over to the tv page ♪ ♪ hey now hey now ♪ ♪ don't dream it's over ♪ ♪ hey now hey now ♪ ♪ when the world comes in ♪ ♪ they come they come ♪ ♪ to build a wall between us ♪ ♪ we know they won't win ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: all right, all right! welcome to "the kelly clarkson show," y'all! give it up for my band y'all! all right, so that was "don't dream it's over" sarah dialed in and wanted to hear it. what's your connection to that song. >> yes, that song is super

meaningful to me. i used to sing it while i was on the water polo team in high school, i'm a middle school teacher and during remote learning and trying to watch my own two kids and run a side business, i have no time to move and we found our forever home, so my students and their families all got together and got us through. so the song reminds me of how amazing our community is. >> kelly: i love it. thank you for being an educator, you went to a fancy school, you had water polo! we did not even have swimming! water polo, that's amazing! but thank you so much, i love that song. he reminds me that i got to sing that on season 14 of "the voice," we did a duet, so i think of her, so thank you for picking that song! all right, everybody come i hope you're ready for a real good time, she is a businesswoman, actress, former "real housewives of atlanta" and now author porsha williams is here!

then today marks the start of black history month and we are excited to celebrate by sharing the story of our nation's first known black female composer, her name was florence price and her legacy was almost forgotten. but in a little while you are going to meet some extraordinary students and a world-renowned orchestra director who are trying to share her music with the world. let's get started with our first guest today. you can see them in the movie "home team" on netflix. you'll have to check it out, but millions of you probably know him best as the shape shifter jacob in the "twilight" franchise. please welcome taylor lautner! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ have a seat! you look so cool! >> taylor: thanks. i'm trying. >> kelly: i love that outfit. did you go to a water polo

school too? >> taylor: my school did not have water polo. >> kelly: you have a big birthday coming up, 30. >> taylor: i know. >> kelly: i am like a decade older, a mom's 40 coming and it's a big birthday year for me, do you get excited and planned? >> taylor: i am. people have asked me are you scared? but i feel good. i like birthdays. >> kelly: if you like my 20s were so fun and i did a lot of cool stuff in my career, but they were hard overall. >> taylor: i'm looking for the next chapter in life. >> kelly: you get into wine, do you make wine? >> taylor: i don't make it myself, may be in the future i would love that, but yes. >> kelly: i want to do the lucille thing where you crush the grapes. >> taylor: i have done that. this is at one of our favorite wineries and we got to crush the

grapes. >> kelly: you get into the whole tasting and everything. >> taylor: that's my go-to thing, people ask what do you want to do on your birthday? and i'm like i just want to go to napa -- >> kelly: with that charcuterie board. >> taylor: yes, and enjoy some wine. >> kelly: are you really good at it? because i live. i'm like oh, oak, the vanilla, i never tasted -- i don't have an experience pallet or something. >> taylor: i'm getting better, but i definitely still like b.s. my way through it. again, notes of the cranberry. >> kelly: i totally felt autumn in my mouth. you're like yeah! but is this photo from one of your birthday parties? because you look terrified. >> taylor: i don't even remember where that's from, but yeah, clearly you can see it in my eyes. >> kelly: i will say that flip-flop the clown does look

scary as hell. >> taylor: who likes clowns? >> kelly: that one looks like he in particular might wear your skin. >> taylor: a little sketchy, i did not trust him. >> kelly: i don't like clowns either "it" scared me, is that the movie with the clown? that's what i thought. that scared the hell out of me. i was done with clowns. >> taylor: i do feel like i've kind of overcome my fear of clowns, because they have been more like really into halloween. i throw a halloween party. >> kelly: costume mandatory? >> taylor: yes, costume mandatory and i love opening my party with a super scary entrance before you walk onto the dance floor you have to go through the scary entrance. >> kelly: that says a lot about you. >> taylor: you but yourself i put a lot of clowns and they are. >> kelly: you have a hall of scary. so you are engaged! congratulations! that's really exciting! this is my favorite thing to learn about you, her name is taylor. like what!