Good morning. Here are some of the stories we're following today:
1. 71 Dead Refugees Found in Truck on Austria Highway
The 59 men, eight women and four children — possibly Syrian migrants — were found inside an abandoned truck near Austria's border with Slovakia and Hungary, officials said Friday. Authorities also confirmed that three suspects linked to human smuggling have been arrested in connection with the case, with at least one other person being hunted. Read more in NEWS.
2. Inside the Virginia TV Gunman’s Bachelor Pad
Vester Lee Flanagan, the failed reporter who fatally shot two journalists during a live broadcast, lived in a $600-a-month Roanoke apartment decorated with pictures of himself. One neighbor at the complex described him as quiet, but another said he "walked around with a chip on his shoulder." Read more in NEWS.
3. New Orleans ‘Inspires’ Obama 10 Years After Katrina
President Barack Obama visited the Big Easy, praising the hard work of the community in the wake of the hurricane and saying that their efforts inspired the nation. "Folks have been watching what happened here, and they've seen a reflection of the very best of American spirit," he said. Read more in NEWS.
4. Katrina Transforms Life of Child Survivor
Nine-year-old Charles Evans, standing outside the Superdome, became the face of the storm's survivors when an NBC News cameraman captured the child eloquently making a plea to the world for help. Since Katrina, Evans has traveled a long road from tragedy to triumphant self-realization. Read more in NEWS.
5. Tropical Storm Erika’s Track Puzzles Forecasters
Forecasters and emergency agencies are preparing for a long weekend as Tropical Storm Erika wobbles toward Puerto Rico and then the southern Atlantic coast, where it could be a hurricane when it arrives early next week. Read more in NEWS.
6. How Border Patrol Agents Took Down Prison Inmates
Three weeks after inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat broke out of an upstate New York prison, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol unit brought into the hunt for the men jumped into two helicopters to chase a report of "shots fired" in the woods. The leader of that team told NBC News in an exclusive interview how the dramatic search all went down. Read more in NEWS.
7. Trump Defends Hair, Attacks Media at S.C. Rally
The GOP presidential front-runner forcefully defended his curious coif, then attacked the New York Times for a front-page report on his adversarial relationship with Spanish-language media during a rally in South Carolina. "I don't wear a toupee," Trump told his supporters. "It's my hair. I swear." Read more in POLITICS.
Nightly Spotlight
Christian Carillo is a photographer on a mission to stand in the very same places his grandparents once stood many, many years ago — one photo at a time.
