>>> TONIGHT, THE STUNNING VERDICT AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. A JURY FINDS HIM LIABLE FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING AND DEFAMING COLUMNIST E. JEAN CARROLL IN THE '90s. THE JURY AWARDING HER $5 MILLION IN DAMAGES. THE FORMER PRESIDENT SAYING HE HAS NO IDEA WHO CARROLL IS. CALLING THE VERDICT A DISGRACE AFTER SITTING OUT HIS OWN TRIAL IN FAVOR OF A STUNNING DEPOSITION, DID HIS LAWYER'S STRATEGY BACKFIRE? THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL FALLOUT AS THE FORMER PRESIDENT RUNS FOR REELECTION. >>> JUST BREAKING, THE FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST GEORGE SANTOS. THE CONTROVERSIAL NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN FACING MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS. >>> A CRITICAL MEETING ON THE DEBT CRISIS BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND TOP HILL LEADERS. INSIDE THE NEGOTIATIONS, THE CRIPPLING CONSEQUENCES OF A DEFAULT, WITH MILLIONS OF JOBS, GOVERNMENT BENEFITS AND A RECESSION AT STAKE. ONE FAMILY'S MESSAGE TO WASHINGTON. >>> THE MASSIVE FLOW OF MIGRANTS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER EVEN BEFORE THE END OF TITLE 42 RESTRICTIONS JUST TWO DAYS FROM NOW. >>> NEW GUIDELINES FOR BREAST CANCER SCREENING. HOW MUCH EARLIER. WHAT WOMEN NEED TO KNOW. >>> AND A REMARKABLE RESCUE. HOW AN 8-YEAR-OLD SURVIVED IN THE WILDERNESS FOR DAYS UNTIL A SEARCHER HEARD HIS CALLS FOR HELP. >> Announcer: THIS IS "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS" WITH LESTER HOLT. >> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME. IT TOOK LESS THAN THREE HOURS FOR A NEW YORK JURY TO FIND FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP LIABLE FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING WRITER E. JEAN CARROLL AND FOR DEFAMING HER WITH THE NATURE OF HIS DENIALS. THE EX-PRESIDENT ORDERED TO PAY CARROLL $5 MILLION. THE EXPLOSIVE CIVIL CASE STEMMING FROM AN ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE TWO IN A TONY MANHATTAN DEPARTMENT STORE BACK IN THE '90s, WHERE CARROLL SAID MR. TRUMP RAPED HER IN A DRESSING ROOM. TONIGHT THE NINE-MEMBER JURY DID NOT FIND HIM LIABLE FOR RAPE, BUT CONCLUDED HE DID SEXUALLY ABUSE MS. CARROLL. THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DID NOT APPEAR AT TRIAL, BUT POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY, CALLING THE VERDICT A DISGRACE. IN HER OWN STATEMENT, E. JEAN CARROLL WRITING, "TODAY THE WORLD FINALLY KNOWS THE TRUTH." SENIOR LEGAL CORRESPONDENT LAURA JARRETT STARTS OUR COVERAGE. >> CAN WE HAVE A STATEMENT, PLEASE? >> Reporter: A RESOUNDING WIN FOR E. JEAN CARROLL. A FEDERAL JURY FINDING FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SEXUALLY ABUSED HER AND THEN DEFAMED HER BY CALLING HER STORY A LIE, AWARDING HER $5 MILLION. THE JURY SWIFTLY RETURNING THEIR UNANIMOUS VERDICT AFTER FEWER THAN THREE HOURS OF DELIBERATIONS. IN A STATEMENT TONIGHT, CARROLL SAYING, "THIS VICTORY IS NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT FOR EVERY WOMAN WHO HAS SUFFERED BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT BELIEVED." THE JURORS HAILING FROM MANHATTAN, WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND THE BRONX. SIX MEN AND THREE WOMEN, INCLUDING A SECURITY GUARD, PHYSICAL THERAPIST AND FORMER JANITOR, ALL KEPT ANONYMOUS THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL, A RARE MOVE IMPOSED BY THE JUDGE FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY. OVER THE COURSE OF TWO WEEKS, THEY HEARD FROM CARROLL, TEARFUL AT TIMES RECOUNTING THE ATTACK SHE SAYS HAPPENED MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO IN A DRESSING ROOM AT BERGDORF GOODMAN. TWO FRIENDS SHE TOLD AT THE TIME ALONG WITH TWO OTHER WOMEN WHO ACCUSED MR. TRUMP OF MAKING UNWANTED ADVANCES, ALL TO SHOW A PATTERN, ALL CLAIMS HE HAS DENIED. AND TONIGHT ANOTHER. MOMENTS AFTER THE VERDICT, MR. TRUMP RELEASED A STATEMENT ON TRUTH SOCIAL SAYING, "I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE, A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME." A DENIAL SIMILAR TO THIS ONE FROM LAST FALL WHEN THE FORMER PRESIDENT BLASTED CARROLL'S STORY AS A HOAX, A POST VIEWED BY MILLIONS, THE ONE THE JURY FOUND TODAY WAS DEFAMATORY. >> THEY MAKE UP STORIES, AND THEN I'M NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK MY MIND. >> Reporter: BUT HIS ATTORNEYS PUT ON NO DEFENSE CASE AT TRIAL, AND MR. TRUMP NEVER SHOWED UP. INSTEAD POSTING ABOUT HIS TRAVELING OVERSEAS. >> I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN. >> Reporter: THOUGH JURORS DID HEAR FROM DONALD TRUMP, WATCHING THIS DEPOSITION VIDEO WHERE HE DIDN'T SHY AWAY FROM THAT NEW INFAMOUS "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" TAPE. >> "WHEN YOU'RE A STAR, THEY LET YOU DO IT. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, GRAB THEM BY THE [ BLEEP ]. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING." THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID, CORRECT? >> THAT'S HISTORICALLY TRUE WITH STARS. >> THAT'S TRUE WITH STARS THAT YOU CAN GRAB WOMEN BY THE [ BLEEP ]? >> IF YOU LOOK OVER THE LAST MILLION YEARS, THAT'S BEEN LARGELY TRUE. NOT ALWAYS, BUT LARGELY TRUE. UNFORTUNATELY OR FORTUNATELY. >> AND YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A STAR? >> I THINK YOU CAN SAY THAT, YEAH. >> Reporter: MR. TRUMP'S ATTORNEY JOE TACOPINA TELLING REPORTERS AFTER TODAY THAT TAPE A POSSIBLE GROUND FOR A FORTHCOMING APPEAL. >> THE "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" TAPE SHOULD NOT HAVE COME INTO THIS CASE. THERE WERE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE CASE THAT WERE BEYOND THE PEAL. >> Reporter: HE ALSO CONFUSED A PHOTO OF CARROLL WHO HE SAID WASN'T HIS TYPE FOR HIS EX-WIFE MARLA MAPLES, YEAH. THAT'S MY WIFE. >> Reporter: A STRIKING MOMENT TACOPINA NEVER ADDRESSED AT TRIAL. >> AND LAURA, THIS CASE IS ALSO BREAKING RARE LEGAL GROUND. >> THAT'S RIGHT. CARROLL'S CASE IS AMONG THE FIRST TO GO TO TRIAL USING A NEW LAW THAT GIVES SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT A WINDOW TO FILE CIVIL SUITS EVEN WHEN THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS HAS LONG SINCE PASSED. MANY HAVE FILED CLAIMS UNDER THIS NEW LAW. NONE WITH A VERDICT QUITE LIKE THIS. LESTER? >> LAURA JARRETT, THANKS VERY MUCH. FOR MORE I'M JOINED BY LEGAL ANALYST DANNY CEVALLOS. DANNY, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT DEPOSITION FOR A MINUTE. IT CLEARLY WASN'T HELPFUL TO THE FORMER PRESIDENT. IS THAT AN ISSUE FOR LAWYERS GOING FORWARD AS HE FACES OTHER POTENTIAL CASES? >> YES. THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED IF YOU GET TRUMP INTO A DEPOSITION, HE MIGHT STAY ON SCRIPT FOR A LITTLE WHILE, BUT SOONER OR LATER, HE VEERS INTO IMPROV, AND IMPROV IS BAD FOR HIM. FOR EXAMPLE, SAYING THE PLAINTIFF IN THIS CASE WAS NOT HIS TYPE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY KIND OF DEFENSE. IT ONLY HURT HIM IN THE END. IN ADDITION, DEFENDING THE "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" TAPE INSTEAD OF DISTANCING HIMSELF FROM IT ALSO DIDN'T HELP. ALL THAT EVIDENCE CREATED BY TRUMP HIMSELF. IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CASE IN CHIEF. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE PLAINTIFF USED LIBERALLY IN HER CLOSING ARGUMENT, AND IT WORKED. >> ALL RIGHT. DANNY CEVALLOS, THANK YOU. >>> ALSO BREAKING TONIGHT, NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN GEORGE SANTOS NOW FACING FEDERAL CRIMINAL CHARGES. GARRETT HAAKE IS FOLLOWING. GARRETT, WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW? >> LESTER, TONIGHT WE LEARNED THAT NEW YORK JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROSECUTORS HAVE CHARGED NEW YORK REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN GEORGE SANTOS WITH AT LEAST ONE FEDERAL CRIME, ACCORDING TO THREE SOURCES FAMILIAR. NOW ONE OF THOSE SOURCES SAY SANTOS WAS JUST INFORMED THAT HE IS BEING CHARGED TODAY, AND THE DEALS OF THIS CASE ARE STILL UNDER SEAL. NOW IN DECEMBER, TWO FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCES TOLD NBC NEWS THAT SANTOS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK FOR POSSIBLE CAMPAIGN FINANCE VIOLATIONS, ALL FOCUSED ON DISCLOSURES AND LOANS THAT HE MADE TO HIS CAMPAIGN IN 2022. SANTOS STEPPED DOWN FROM HIS COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS EARLIER THIS YEAR AMID AN ETHICS COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION IN THE HOUSE OF HIS CAMPAIGN AND OF HIS ACKNOWLEDGED FABRICATIONS ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS, MOST NOTABLY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE HAVE LARGELY STOOD BY HIM, UP UNTIL THIS POINT. LESTER? >> DO WE KNOW WHEN HE'LL TURN HIMSELF IN? >> SOURCES SAY THAT'S STILL BEING NEGOTIATED, BUT IT COULD HAPPEN AS EARLY AS TOMORROW. SANTOS WILL BE EXPECTED TO APPEAR IN FEDERAL COURT ON LONG ISLAND. THAT'S ALSO WHEN THESE CHARGES WOULD BE MADE PUBLIC. I SHOULD SAY SANTOS' ATTORNEY HAS NOT RESPONDED TO NBC'S REQUEST FOR COMMENT. LESTER? >> ALL RIGHT, GARRETT, THANK YOU. >>> NOW TO THE HIGH STAKES MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS JUST WEEKS TO GO BEFORE WHAT COULD BE A CATASTROPHIC GOVERNMENT DEFAULT. CNBC'S KAYLA TAUSCHE HAS THE LATE DETAILS. >> Reporter: TONIGHT -- JUNE DEFAULT. >> WE'RE GOING GET STARTED AND SOLVE ALL THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS. >> Reporter: PRESIDENT BIDEN AND TOP CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS IN A STANDOFF OVER SPENDING. HOUSE REPUBLICANS RECENTLY PASSING A PLAN TO RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT IF DEMOCRATS AGREE TO STEEP SPENDING CUTS. THE HOUSE SPEAKER AFTER TONIGHT'S MEETING. >> WHAT ARE THE ODDS NOW OF DEFAULT AFTER THIS MEETING? AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? >> WELL, THE HOUSE MADE SURE WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE DEFAULT BECAUSE WE RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT. >> WELL, NOW YOU MET WITH THE PRESIDENT. >> THE SENATE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING. I TRIED TO. FOR 97 DAYS, HE HAS SAID NO. I THINK THE ONLY REASON WE ARE ACTUALLY HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE WE PASSED SOMETHING. >> Reporter: BUT DEMOCRATS REJECTING REPUBLICAN SPENDING CUT, CALLING FOR A DEBT CEILING WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED. >> I TOLD CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS I'M PREPARED TO BEGIN A SEPARATE DISCUSSION ABOUT MY SPENDING CUTS BUT NOT UNDER THREAT OF DEFAULT. I MADE CLEAR WE CAN CUT SPENDING AND CUT THE DEFICIT. >> Reporter: THE U.S. HAS MAXED OUT ITS NEARLY $32 TRILLION CREDIT CARD, AND CONGRESS HAS JUST THREE WEEKS TO RAISE THE LIMIT, A DEFAULT TOP ECONOMISTS SAY WOULD LEAVE TO FINANCIAL DISASTER, A STOCK MARKET DIVE, TANKING 401(k)s AND A SPIKE IN JOB LOSSES. MISSING THE DEADLINE BY A WEEK WOULD COST 1.5 MILLION JOBS, SOARING TO 8 MILLION IF THE DEADLOCK REACHES THE FALL. IN EITHER CASE, A RECESSION. AND SOME FEDERAL SPENDING COULD BE IN JEOPARDY, INCLUDING HERE AT ALL SAINTS FOOD PANTRY HERE IN DETROIT, WHICH COULD LOSE A THIRD OF ITS ANNUAL BUDGET. >> THERE COULD BECOME A POINT WHERE WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE FOOD TO GIVE. >> Reporter: DIVINE TELLING US SHE RELIES ON THIS FOOD. HER FAMILY ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH HIGH INFLATION. >> THE COST OF LIVING WENT UP. >> YEAH. >> A LOT. SO IT'S HARD. >> Reporter: A POTENTIAL DEFAULT COULD ALSO PUT FEDERAL BENEFITS FOR VETERANS AT RISK. WE MET SHANNON GALLOWAY WHOSE HUSBAND CHRIS SERVED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. SINCE HE DIED 14 YEARS AGO, THE GALLOWAYS HAVE RELIED ON PAYMENTS FROM THE GOVERNMENT. >> THOSE BENEFITS LITERALLY ARE HOW WE PAY OUR MORTGAGE, HOW WE PAY OUR MORTGAGE, HOW WE PAY OUR UTILITIES, HOW WE PAY DAILY COST OF LIVING. >> Reporter: SO WHAT WOULD YOUR MESSAGE BE TO THE LEADERS IN WASHINGTON? >> THIS ISN'T JUST POLITICS TO US. THIS IS OUR FAMILY. THIS IS OUR DAILY LIFE. >> AND KAYLA, WE'RE NOW HEARING THERE WILL BE ANOTHER MEETING THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON? >> LESTER, PRESIDENT BIDEN MOMENTS AGO CALLED TODAY'S MEETINGS PRODUCTIVE, AND HE HAS INVITED ALL FOUR LEADERS BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE ON FRIDAY, BUT THERE IS STILL A LOT OF WORK TO GET DONE IN A VERY SHORT TIME FRAME. LESTER? >> ALL RIGHT, KAYLA, THANKS VERY MUCH. >>> NOW TO THE GROWING CRISIS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER, WHERE THERE IS ALREADY A MASSIVE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS CROSSING INTO THE U.S. WITH NUMBERS EXPECTED TO SOAR EVEN HIGHER IN JUST TWO DAYS. GABE GUTIERREZ IS IN BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS FOR US TONIGHT. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, WITH THE BORDER RESTRICTION KNOWN AS TITLE 42 EXPIRING IN ABOUT TWO DAYS, AUTHORITIES SAY THE SOARING NUMBER OF MIGRANTS THEY'RE BRACING FOR IS ALREADY ARRIVING, INCLUDING AROUND EL PASO, WHERE MORE PEOPLE ARE NOW SLEEPING ON THE STREETS. THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MONDAY PUT UP THIS PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING A TARGETED ENFORCEMENT OPERATION THERE TODAY. NOW SOME LIKE MARIANNE CASTRO FROM VENEZUELA WORRY THEY'LL BE DEPORTED. "I'M SO FEARFUL, THAT AFTER ALL THE SACRIFICES I MADE WITH MY THREE KIDS, I'LL HAVE TO RETURN," SHE SAYS. BUT A BORDER PATROL UNION WHICH BLAMES PRESIDENT BIDEN'S POLICIES FOR THE INFLUX IS SLAMMING THE ADMINISTRATION FOR ANNOUNCING THE CRACKDOWN AHEAD OF TIME. >> YOU DO NOT GIVE UP TO CRIMINALS WHERE AN OPERATION IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE IT HAPPENS. >> Reporter: HERE IN BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, ANOTHER CITY THAT'S DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY, MIGRANT AID GROUPS TRYING TO KEEP UP. >> ARE THE RESOURCES STRETCHED THIN? YES. BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBERS MIGHT LOOK LIKE AFTER MAY 11. >> Reporter: THE COMMUNITY ALSO STILL REELING AFTER EIGHT VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS WERE KILLED SUNDAY WHEN A DRIVER PLOWED INTO THEM. ONE OF THE SURVIVORS, GABRIEL GALLARDO LOST A LEG. "MY DREAMS ARE BROKEN. THEY'RE GONE," HE SAYS, FROM HIS HOSPITAL BED. HIS WIFE WITH HIS TWO CHILDREN BEGGING FOR HELP WHILE SHE IS IN COLOMBIA, DESPERATE TO MAKE TO IT THE U.S. A BRUTAL AND CONFUSING JOURNEY. THESE WOMEN FROM VENEZUELA SAY THEY'VE HAD TROUBLE USING THE GOVERNMENT APP TO APPLY FOR ASYLUM. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SAYS IT'S EXPANDING APPOINTMENTS DUE TO HIGH DEMAND. "YOU CREATE AN ACCOUNT AND IT KICKS YOU OUT," SHE SAYS. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION INSISTS IT IS PREPARED FOR THE END OF TITLE 42. MANY LOCAL OFFICIALS HERE, THOUGH, ARE SKEPTICAL. LESTER? >> ALL RIGHT. GABE GUTIERREZ, THANK YOU. >>> IN 60 SECONDS, THE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BREAST CANCER SCREENING. TOP EXPERTS SAY WOMEN SHOULD GET MAMMOGRAMS MUCH EARLIER. WHY THEY ARE MAKING >>> THERE IS MAJOR NEWS TONIGHT ABOUT WOMEN AND BREAST CANCER. GOVERNMENT EXPERTS NOW SAY MAMMOGRAMS SHOULD BEGIN MUCH EARLIER, AT AGE 40. ERIN McLAUGHLIN HAS DETAILS. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, A LEADING HEALTH PANEL NOW RECOMMENDING MAMMOGRAM SCREENINGS FOR BREAST CANCER BEGIN FOR WOMEN AT AGE 40, A FULL DECADE SOONER THAN THE PANEL'S PREVIOUS GUIDELINES. EXPERTS SAY IT'S ABOUT TIME. >> THE SCIENCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE. THAT'S WHY MANY OF US HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDING 40 FOR YEARS. >> Reporter: SO FINALLY THIS PANEL IS LISTENING TO THAT SCIENCE? >> YES. >> Reporter: THE DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS COME FROM THE U.S. PREVENTATIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE. THEY SAY THE NEW GUIDELINES COULD SAVE 20% MORE LIVES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ALL WOMEN, EMPHASIZING THE NEW GUIDELINES ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR BLACK WOMEN. >> BLACK WOMEN ARE 40% MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM BREAST CANCER THAN WHITE WOMEN IF THEY GET IT. THEY ALSO ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET MORE AGGRESSIVE FORMS OF BREAST CANCER. >> Reporter: THE PANEL STOPPING SHORT OF RECOMMENDING ANNUAL MAMMOGRAM SCREENINGS, MAINTAINING THAT WOMEN STILL SCREEN EVERY TWO YEARS. DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION GO FAR ENOUGH? >> NO. >> Reporter: SHE ARGUES WOMEN 40 AND OVER SHOULD GET SCREENINGS EVERY YEAR, AND SAYS WOMEN SHOULD START TALKING WITH THEIR DOCTORS ABOUT RISK FACTORS AT AGE 25. STILL, EXPERTS ARE HOPEFUL THESE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS WILL HELP SEND A MORE CONSISTENT MESSAGE. >> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR WOMEN TO KNOW IS TO BEGIN SCREENING AT THE AGE OF 40, BECAUSE IT JUST MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE. >> Reporter: ERIN McLAUGHLIN, NBC NEWS. >>> IN A MOMENT, NBC NEWS INVESTIGATES WORK CONTRACTS AT THE NATION'S LARGEST HOSPITAL CHAIN. NURSES SAY THEY'VE >>> DURING NATIONAL NURSES WEEK, WE LOOK TONIGHT AT A COMPANY THAT EMPLOYS 90,000 OF THEM, HCA, AMERICA'S LARGEST FOR-PROFIT HOSPITAL CHAIN HAS BEEN REQUIRING NEW NURSES TO SIGN CONTRACTS THEY SAY PUT THEM IN DEBT AND COULD PUT AT RISK NOT ONLY THEIR HEALTH BUT THEIR PATIENTS. HERE'S CYNTHIA McFADDEN. >> Reporter: JACKIE WAS EXCITED TO START A CAREER AS A REGISTERED NURSE AT AN HCA HOSPITAL IN CALIFORNIA. BUT SOON SHE SAYS HER JOB WAS MAKING HER SICK. >> YEAH. MY HAIR WAS FALLING OUT. I WAS LOSING WEIGHT. >> Reporter: JACKIE, YOU'RE ALMOST SHAKING AS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS. YOU'RE A LITTLE TRAUMATIZED. >> MAYBE I WASN'T MADE TO BE A NURSE. WELL, IN THESE CONDITIONS I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WAS MADE TO BE A NURSE. >> Reporter: THE CONDITIONS SHE IS TALKING ABOUT RELATE TO UNDERSTAFFING, WHICH NBC NEWS HAS INVESTIGATED AT HCA HOSPITALS IN FIVE STATES WHERE SOME NURSES AND DOCTORS SAY HCA'S FOCUS ON PROFITS, $5.6 BILLION LAST YEAR, CAN PUT PATIENTS AT RISK. >> THE QUALITY OF CARE THAT WE GIVE IS NOT WHAT WE WANT TO GIVE. >> Reporter: SHE SAYS THE HOSPITAL REFUSED TO LET HER WORK FEWER HOURS. SO AFTER 13 MONTHS, SHE QUIT. BUT SHE HAD A PROBLEM. SHE'D SIGNED A CONTRACT SAYING IF SHE DIDN'T WORK TWO YEARS FULL TIME, SHE'D HAVE TO PAY BACK SOME OF THE $4,000 THEY SAID IT COST TO TRAIN HER. RUM BELIEVES IT WASN'T TRAINING BUT AN 11-WEEK ORIENTATION WHICH INCLUDED BASIC ONBOARDING, TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION AND SHADOWING AN EXPERIENCED NURSE. >> WE SEE THESE CONTRACTS AS A FORM OF INDENTURED SERVITUDE. >> Reporter: BRYNNE O'NEAL IS A LAWYER AND POLICY SPECIALIST AT THE LARGEST NURSES UNION IN THE COUNTRY, WITH OVER 220,000 MEMBERS. INDENTURED SERVITUDE. DOES THAT GO TOO FAR? >> I DON'T THINK SO. BECAUSE IT'S REQUIRING TO PEOPLE TO WORK OUT A TERM BASED ON DEBT. >> Reporter: THESE CONTRACTS ARE SOMETIMES USED BY HOSPITALS TO STAFF THE WORST SHIFTS AND THE SICKEST PATIENTS WITH THE LEAST EXPERIENCED NURSES, ACCORDING TO SOME OF THE 1700 NURSES O'NEAL'S UNION SURVEYED. IN THE PAST DECADE, THESE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN USED BY A WIDE RANGE OF HOSPITALS, INCLUDING HCA, WHICH SAYS ITS TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND SUBSTANTIVE THAN ANY STANDARD JOB >> THERE ARE PLENTY OF LICENSED NURSES, BUT THERE IS A REAL LACK OF SAFE NURSING JOBS. >> Reporter: IN UTAH, BREE FELLOWS ALSO SIGNED AN HCA CONTRACT. IF SHE QUIT BEFORE TWO YEARS, SHE'D HAVE TO PAY BACK THE $10,000 SIGNING BONUS THEY GAVE HER AS WELL AS UP TO $10,000 IN TRAINING COSTS. >> WHERE IS THE HEDGEHOG? >> Reporter: WITH TWO KIDS UNDER 2 AT THE TIME, SHE ACCEPTED A JOB ON THE OVERNIGHT SHIFT IN LABOR AND DELIVERY. BUT SIX MONTHS LATER, SHE WAS PREGNANT, EXHAUSTED AND BEGGING SHE SAYS TO WORK THE DAY SHIFT. >> SHE SAID YOU'RE BRAND-NEW. NO, YOU CAN'T. >> Reporter: WERE THERE SOME MOMENTS WHILE YOU WERE DOING THIS JOB THAT YOU JUST THOUGHT I'M NOT SAFE? I'M NOT SAFE WITH THESE PATIENTS, I'M NOT SAFE FOR MYSELF? >> YES. JUST LIKE NOT CATCHING THINGS THAT I SHOULD HAVE, JUST STARING AT THE SCREEN AT 3:00 A.M. IT'S JUST VERY SCARY. >> Reporter: AFTER 11 1/2 MONTHS, SHE QUIT. THE HOSPITAL SENT LETTERS DEMANDING SHE RETURN HER UP FRONT BONUS OF $10,000 AS WELL AS $6,000 TO REPAY HER TRAINING. >> IT WAS VERY MUCH A SLAP IN THE FACE. LIKE THIS HAS TO BE WRONG. >> Reporter: FRIGHTENED, SHE AND HER HUSBAND TOOK OUT A NEW CREDIT CARD AND PAID THE $14,000 THE HOSPITAL AGREED TO TAKE. >> THESE CONTRACTS ARE BAD FOR NURSES AND THEY'RE BAD FOR PATIENTS. WITH DEBT HANGING OVER THEIR HEAD, A NURSE HAS A MUCH HARDER TIME SPEAKING OUT. >> Reporter: HCA NOW TELLS US THAT SINCE WE STARTED REPORTING ON THESE CONTRACTS TWO MONTHS AGO, THEY'VE DECIDED NOT TO USE THEM ANYMORE, THOUGH THEY DECLINED TO SAY WHETHER THEY WILL ENFORCE THE CONTRACTS NURSES HAVE ALREADY SIGNED OR REIMBURSE NURSES LIKE BREE FELLOWS. MEANWHILE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GETTING INVOLVED. THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION PROPOSED A RULE BANNING CONTRACTS LIKE THESE WHICH ARE BEING USED IN INCREASING NUMBER OF INDUSTRIES. LESTER? >> ALL RIGHT, CYNTHIA, THANK YOU. >>> WHEN WE COME BACK, HOW AN 8-YEAR-OLD BOY >>> A YOUNG WISCONSIN BOY IS SAFE AND SOUND TONIGHT AFTER A HARROWING WEE >>> A YOUNG WISCONSIN BOY IS SAFE AND SOUND TONIGHT AFTER A HARROWING WEEKEND LOST IN THE WILDS OF A MICHIGAN STATE PARK. ANNE THOMPSON HAS HIS STORY. >> Reporter: THIS SMILE IS PROOF OF TRIUMPH OVER POTENTIAL TRAGEDY. 8-YEAR-OLD NANTE NIEMI FOUND IN MICHIGAN'S PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, FOUND MONDAY AFTERNOON SHELTERING UNDER A LOG. >> THE SUBJECT HAS BEEN LOCATED. GREAT WORK, EVERYBODY. >> Reporter: ON SATURDAY, THE SECOND GRADER DISAPPEARED WHILE GATHERING FIREWOOD FOR HIS FAMILY'S CAMP. SEARCHERS FOCUSED ON A 40-SQUARE MILE AREA IN MICHIGAN'S LARGEST STATE PARK. MORE THAN 150 PEOPLE SEARCHED FOR NANTE, ONE OF THEM A FAMILIAR FACE TO THE CHILD, 18-YEAR-OLD ELI TALSMA. >> AND ALL I SEE IS HIS LITTLE TINY WHITE SWEATSHIRT. AND HE GOES, "ELI?" I RAN UP OVER TO HIM AND I GAVE HIM THE BIGGEST HUG. I WAS SO RELIEVED ONCE I SAW HIM. >> Reporter: AS TALSMA CARRIED NANTE TO SAFETY, HE LEARNED WHILE RESCUERS COULDN'T SEE NANTE, NANTE SAW THEM. >> ONE NIGHT HE WAS SLEEPING AND A POLICE HELICOPTER FLEW OVER HIM AND WOKE HIM UP. >> Reporter: HE COVERED HIMSELF WITH BRANCHS AND LEAVES TO STAY WARM AND ATE CLEAN SNOW TO HYDRATE. HE HAD NO FOOD. NANTE'S MOM TONIGHT THANKING THE RESCUERS, GRATEFUL FOR THEIR EFFORTS AND THE SMARTS OF HER LITTLE BOY. ANNE THOMPSON, NBC NEWS. >> ONE TOUGH KID. WE'RE GLAD HE IS OKAY. THAT'S "NIGHTLY NEWS" FOR THIS TUESDAY. THANKS FOR WATCHING. I'M LESTER HOLT.