Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, August 22, 2025

Episode Date: August 23, 2025

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Breaking tonight, the horrific tour bus crash in upstate New York. Passengers killed while returning from Niagara Falls. The highway tragedy leaving at least five people dead. Passengers ejected as the bus careened into a ditch and flipped over. First responders frantically searching for those trapped. What caused the driver to lose control? Also tonight, the audio just released of the DOJ sit-down with Epstein accomplice Gillane Maxwell. what she's saying about a long-rumored client list and Jeffrey Epstein's relationships with President Trump and former President Clinton.

Plus, Maxwell's new revelation, she says she does not believe the convicted sex offender really died by suicide. The FBI search at the home and office of former National Security Advisor John Bolton tied to an investigation into classified documents. The new details about the probe into the Trump ally turned outspoken critic. A fiery explosion at a plant in Louisiana, sending a plume of smoke shooting into the sky. The emergency evacuations underway. Outrage in Orlando after state officials painted over a rainbow crosswalk that was honoring the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shootings, how the community is pushing back. The break-in at singer Lionel Richie's Beverly Hills home, the Grammy Award-winning artist inside as an intruder set off security alarms. And jumping into the record books, why hundreds of skydivers from around the world are taking a massive leap in the skies of Illinois.

Plus, casting doubt on peace prospects, what Russian President Vladimir Putin's close confidant told our Kristen Welker, is a sitdown with Putin and Ukraine's president in jeopardy. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for God. Tom Yamis breaking tonight horror on the highway. Five people killed after a tour bus crashed in upstate New York. Tonight, the New York State threw away the site for a mass casualty incident with police confirming five deaths but no children were killed. State police confirming this tour bus that was laying on its passenger side about 30 miles outside Buffalo crashed in the middle of the day returning to New York City from Niagara Falls after they say the driver lost control,

went into the median and overcorrected into a ditch. have multiple fatalities, multiple entrapments, and multiple injuries. A passenger manifest, they say confirming 52 people total were riding on the bus, including the driver, who police say, quote, is alive and well in cooperating with law enforcement as they work to figure out what happened. The Erie County Medical Center says it's caring for 24 patients, two of whom are in the ICU. And telling NBC News, they have a team of emergency department physicians deployed at the scene of the crash.

This is probably the most trauma patients we've had from one incident in my career here in Buffalo. Over 25 years. Over 25 years. The situation potentially exacerbated. They've got people under the bus and I got people in the bus. By some passengers not wearing seatbelts. Most people, I'm assuming on the bus, did not have a seatbelt on. That is the reason why we have so many ejected people. Police say it's likely the bus rolled over at full speed before coming to rest on its side.

But authorities say there was no mechanical. error or operator impairment. And late tonight, New York State Police releasing the name of that tour bus company, M&Y Tour Bus Inc. from Staten Island. NBC News has reached out for comment, but so far we have not heard back. Now, Allison, it is also notable, police say that just about everybody on that bus was injured in some capacity from fractures to head wounds. One of the medical centers accepting patients said that they have two patients, at least

they're in critical condition right now. The NTSB is launching an investigation. Alison. Now to another major story breaking tonight. The Justice Department releasing audio and transcripts from the Deputy Attorney General's interview with convicted Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Gillane Maxwell. The move comes as the Trump administration continues to face pressure from critics and allies alike to release all records related to the high-profile sex trafficking case.

NBC's senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez has more. tonight galane maxwell in her own words i never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way describing her interactions with president trump decades ago the president was never inappropriate with anybody in the times that i was with him he was a gentleman in all respects she also says she does not believe former president clinton did anything inappropriate either or interacting with geoffrey epstein who would later become a convicted sex offender President Johnson is my friend. He'll Epstein's right. Over two days last month, Maxwell spoke with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche,

who was once one of President Trump's personal lawyers. You meeting with us today, we're really just meeting. I'm not promising to do anything. The White House has been facing mounting pressure to release more information about the investigation into Epstein, who the Justice Department concluded died by suicide while awaiting trial in 2019. Conspiracy theories have swirled that he was murdered to cover up a client line. list. Did you know of the existence of any such list? There is no list.

Maxwell was asked about what she thinks happened. I do not believe he died by suicide. Still, she insists that Epstein likely would not have been targeted by someone outside the prison. If it is indeed murder, I believe it was an internal situation. Maxwell's serving 20 years as Epstein's co-conspirator in the sex trafficking of young women, though her attorney says she's innocent. Today, the Justice Department turned over the first batch of its Epstein files to Congress in response to a subpoena.

I'm in support of keeping it open. Innocent people shouldn't be heard, but I'm in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn't care less. You got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don't deserve to be people because he knew everybody in Palm Beach. And Gabe Gutierrez joins us now from the North Lawn of the White House. Gabe Maxwell was recently transferred to the lower or a lower security. prison, right? Was that related to this interview? Well, that's certainly a big question,

Allison, that certainly critics of all of her being transferred have raised. We have no indication that that was the case. You know, another big question is whether she might be pardoned. Several survivors of Epstein's crimes and their families are vehemently against that. Today, Maxwell's attorney argued that his client was a scapegoat after Epstein died in prison. Now, the president recently said that he was allowed to pardon her, Allison, but no one had asked him. All right. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez. Thank you. I want to bring in Misty Mara. She is a trial attorney as well as an NBC legal analyst. Analyst, excuse me. Let's pick up on some of where Gabe left things off there, right? He mentioned the possibility of Clemency a pardon. That is

something that Galane Maxwell mentioned and talked about in a letter that was sent to the United States Congress when she was saying that she would be willing to testify to the Oversight Committee if she was given a pardon. It would free her to do it, essentially petitioning for one, right? There's also an appeal that is before the Supreme Court. So a lot of layers and a lot of reasons why I would think, if I was her attorney, I would want her to do this interview. When you look at those transcripts and the audio files, is that ultimately what this was? Was her sort of trying to like, she didn't give anything new, really? No, there wasn't much new information in there. And I think the DOJ knew that. And I say that because if they were going to use this as the beginning,

beginning of a new case against someone. They wouldn't release it publicly. Think what that would mean for the investigation and ultimate prosecution. But nothing new was realized from this transcript. But I do think she wouldn't have sat down for that interview unless she thought she would derive some benefit. There's a couple of different avenues. As you said, she went out of her way to make sure that she praised the president. We know that multiple times. So there's clemency. There's also what's called a Rule 35 motion. And that's seeking a reduction of the sentence. And that would be a be up to the DOJ, would have to go before a federal judge. Generally, that's only when there is new information. And of course, she does have her pending appeal asking the Supreme Court to throw out her conviction, arguing that she was covered by a non-prosecution agreement in the Southern District of Florida back in 2007, who, with that named unknown co-conspirators and said they couldn't be prosecuted. A lot to watch there. And we cannot forget that in 2021, prosecutors said that she was lying under oath. She also had a perjury charge

after a civil deposition that was back in 2016. So a lot to watch and process with that. Misty Maris, thank you so much. Thank you. Next tonight to the other major headline we are following. FBI officers raiding,

former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton's home and office, the operation part of a federal classified documents investigation. Bolton, a veteran in politics and foreign policy, has served in the last four Republican presidential administrations, including U.N. ambassador under George W. Bush prior to serving as national security advisor for President Trump in the first administration.

Bolton has been a fierce critic of Trump since leaving his administration, even writing a book in 2020, where he detailed instances he felt the president lacked knowledge of basic foreign policy. So what does this investigation mean for the former national security advisor? NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports the latest from Washington. A quiet suburban morning interrupted early over national secrets. Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation turned up to execute a court-approved search warrant related to classified materials, according to officials, carried out at the Bethesda Maryland home and the Washington, D.C. office of John Bolton, a prominent Trump critic and former national security advisor in term one. New tonight, the CIA director provided intelligence to

the FBI used to obtain the warrant, according to a person familiar. Bolton's wife, Gretchen, seen at home during the search. Bolton was recently asked if he expected to be targeted. I think it is a retribution presidency. I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning. But President Trump today said he first learned about the searches from television. I purposely don't want to really get involved in it. I'm not a fan of John Bolton. I thought who's a sleeves bag, actually, and he suffers major Trump derangement syndrome, but so do a lot of people, and they're not being affected by anything we do. In an interview with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, Vice President Vance weighed in.

Classified documents are certainly part of it, but I think that there's a broad concern about Ambassador Bolton. They're going to look into it, and like I said, if there's no crime here, we're not going to prosecute it. If there is a crime here, of course, Ambassador Bolton will get his day in court. Bolton returned to his home this afternoon, but has not made any statement. During today's search, FBI director Cash Patel posted, no one is above the law. A source close to Bolton says this investigation may have been prompted by his criticism of President Trump and his 2020 book. The first Trump administration had sued to stop its publication saying that it had classified information. Later, the Biden administration declined to pursue the matter any further.

Kelly O'Donnell, thank you. For more on the FBI search at former National Security Advisor Bolton's home and office, let's bring in our panel. Susan Page is USA Today's White House Bureau Chief and had the first print interview with John Bolton after the release of his 2020 book. And Joe Moreno, former DOJ National Security Prosecutor. Joe, let me start with you,

because one thing that was interesting today as this was playing out, the FBI didn't say a whole lot publicly, right? But they did make a point to describe both searches as, quote, court-authorized activity. How high is the legal bar for searches like these? Hey, Allison. Well, probable cause is not a super high threshold. Obviously, a federal judge or magistrate had to sign off on this.

But it's not a conviction. It should not be taken as any kind of condemnation of somebody. It's a very early step in an investigation. Not to say it's not serious. I'm a little uncomfortable with the tweets. and even those comments from the vice president, they really should kind of hold their tongue at this point. And every benefit should be given to anyone

that even if a search warrant is executed, they should have the absolute benefit of the doubt and the presumption of innocence. And I want to ask you about those tweets and the comments from Vice President Vance. But first, Susan, let me ask you because you have so much experience reporting on the DOJ, on multiple presidential administrations.

You also have interviewed John Bolton many times before. When you look at this, the totality of it, your history report. reporting on the DOJ and different White Houses, how unprecedented was this action? This is unprecedented. It's not that John Bolton couldn't be investigated for misusing classified information if he did that, but the site of his home and his office being raided by FBI agents and boxes of material being taken out for the man who is the longest serving national security advisor during Trump's

two terms. He's served by the president's side for more than a year. This is really, this is quite extraordinary. And, you know, Vice President Vance said if he's not guilty, then of course he won't be convicted. He'll have his day in court. But there's enormous cost to public officials to have this kind of scene play out in their neighborhood, with their home, with their family. It forces them to spend a lot on legal defense. And, you know, it may have the effect of quieting him, quieting John Bolton. He's been quite outspoken, but we didn't hear from him today, and I bet that's the advice

of his lawyer. Joe, let's talk about some of the posts that we have seen. Cash Patel, the FBI director, making a pretty cryptic post on X, saying no one is above the law right before this search happened. Vice President Vance, he sat down with Kristen

Welker, and in part kept saying that this administration is prioritizing the law over politics. He said we are driven by law, not politics. Do you believe that? I mean, those are all great things to say, and I get Donald Trump's statement that he didn't know, he wasn't aware of this until he heard about it on the news. I'd much prefer they keep quiet altogether. I think that it shows the sort of degree of amateurness that they

have to kind of say these things. If the case speaks for itself, then let it speak for itself, execute the warrant. There's already this stink around it, that this is politically driven. to make it worse by touting social media, even if they're cryptic. Keep your mouth shut and let the case run its course. Susan, we mentioned at the top you had that first print interview about Bolton's book when it was released back in 2020. We know that the Trump administration tried to block the release of that book and that Bolton was investigated after its release.

That was, investigation was later dropped during the Biden administration. Why do you think this search happened now? And did John Bolton express any sort of concern to you back in 2020? about possible retribution. Well, in 2020, he was quite confident he had not used any classified information in his book. And in fact, he's a very experienced public official, have served in multiple Republican administrations and is a man who was not known as somebody who threw around classified material. Now, maybe there's something new.

You know, there's a mention that the CIA had some references. Maybe there's something that we don't know. You know, but the question of why they're doing this in such a public way. And speaking out about it in such a public way could lead cynics to suggest that this was really happening to please Donald Trump. And it's also undertaken to have a kind of chilling effect on criticism of the president. And so those are the kind of things that make this kind of suspect makes people wonder whether this is a case of law enforcement or a case of political retribution.

Joe, when we think about where things go from here, and at some point I would expect the search warrants that have been signed by a judge to be released to the public, or at least has to have some indication of what was taken to that judge, what will you be looking for in the coming days or weeks to make a judgment based on your legal expertise as to whether or not there is a legitimate criminal investigation of some sort here? Don't expect too much from the public release of the search warrant applications. They're going to be very cryptic because of the nature of what they were looking for. And the affidavits that were provided are not going to be publicly released.

They'll only be given to the defense if the case moves forward. So, unfortunately, it's not going to give a lot of indication of how, basically, how serious this is. We're going to have to speculate from what we've seen today, what we've heard about on social media. And, again, really hope that this is a legitimate case. I mean, it already has the absolute aura of being politically motivated. I hope that's not the case. So, again, I think it should be hope they should keep quiet about this. And hopefully the case is strong enough that it kind of stands on its own without this prompting from the White House or the FBI or anybody else.

Joe Moreno. Susan Page, thank you both so much. We appreciate your time and insights. Now to Louisiana, where dramatic video shows the aftermath of an explosion at a manufacturing facility about an hour northwest of Baton Rouge. Local officials ordering people in the area to evacuate, including an elementary school. I want to bring in NBC's George Solis, who's been following this situation closely for, us. George, talk to us about what we're learning so far. Yeah, Alison, that video is very dramatic. This happened in Tangi Pahoe Parish in Roseland, just about an hour and a half outside of New Orleans. Officials holding a briefing not able to say a whole lot. They say that this happened at a manufacturing facility. They do a lot of

oils, greases, and lues, but they don't know the degree of chemicals that are being lifted and wafted into the air in that smoke. They did issue an evacuation order, a mile radius. That's still in effect right now. Fortunately, they have gotten a little bit of help from nature, some rain there has helped out some of those fires. But they have a number of agencies they're investigating. They're, of course, want to know what sparked this fire and, of course, any risks to the public right now. They can't speak to that at this juncture. Amazingly, there are those facilities, they say, employs about 400 people. There are no reported injuries at this hour. And as you mentioned there at the top, this did prompt an evacuation of a school there.

Again, in the evacuation order still in effect. There's actually a shelter that has opened up there because this is expected to go several more hours there. But again, when you look at those images, and again, about 400 employees that worked there, no reported injuries at this hour. It is remarkable what has occurred there. So again, a lot of questions to unfold. No word from officials that are going to hold another update

to give us more information about this. But again, just stunning images and a lot of questions here. Alison. Really good to hear so far. No reported injuries. Hopefully it will stay that way. George Solis. Thank you.

We are back in a moment with Lerner. Lio Menendez making his case for freedom to a California parole ward one day after his younger brother Eric was denied parole, why their stunned family is still holding out hope. A terrifying scare at the home of multi-Grammy winner Lionel Richie, the brazen break-in attempt that happened while the singer was home. Plus, as a judge orders the closing of alligator Alcatraz, R. Julia Ainsley takes us inside the facility where ICE is looking to train up to 10,000 new recruits. Don't go anywhere.

Back now with the latest on the Menendez brothers push for parole. A day after Eric Menendez was denied parole, it's his older brother Lyle's turn to argue why he should be released. All of this, 36 years after his parents' murders shocked the world. NBC's Liz Kreutz has this report. Tonight, Lyle Menendez making his case for freedom to a California parole board, a day after a separate panel denied parole to his younger brother. brother Eric. The Menendez brothers now eligible for parole for the first time since they were convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills

Mansion, which they say was self-defense after years of abuse. I just told them that I didn't want to do this and that it hurt me. At the end of Eric's 10-hour-long hearing Thursday, the parole board issuing their searing response, telling the now 54-year-old, contrary to your supporters' beliefs, you have not been a model prisoner. And frankly, we find that a little disturbing. The board pressing Eric about his prison record, including some involvement with violence well over a decade ago and his repeated use

of contraband cell phones. Lyle, now 57, also has multiple prison infractions, including for cell phone usage, but no instances of violence while behind bars, according to the DA. In the decades they've spent behind bars, they're going to have different records, different histories.

So there's a chance They may look at him differently than his brother, but it's not likely. Tonight, despite the denial, the family remaining hopeful. We knew this was a steep climb, right? After the board, saying Eric can seek parole again in just three years. And Liz, Croyd joins us now from outside the prison where Eric and Lyle are located. Liz, yesterday, that parole board telling Eric he can seek parole again in three years, what does he need to do to increase his chances with the board next time?

Yeah, and we should point out, Alison, that that is the lowest parole denial you can have. They didn't go and tell Eric to come back in a decade from now. Eric Menendez's cousin said that they believe that if he has no infractions over the next year, he'll be able to begin that appeal process and could potentially go before a parole board earlier than those three years within the next 16 to 18 months, Alison. NBC's Liz Kreutz on the ground there in California. Thank you. For more on the Menendez parole hearings, I want to bring back in our.

legal analyst, Misty Maris. Misty, let's talk about the conduct in prison that seemed to be such a big deal when it came to Eric's petition for parole. Lyle technically has more prison infractions. More of them related to cell phones, but still more infractions than his brother. If it was a no for Eric,

is there any way it's going to be a yes for Lyle? It is technically possible that they could have a different result, although very, very unlikely. We have those infractions, and one of those infractions relating to the cell phone when it comes to Lyle is from March 24. That's very recent. Remember, the rationale is if you're going to break the rules in here,

how can we be sure that you're not going to break them if you're released? And is that a risk that you might commit a crime if you leave and then you're a risk to society? So I think it's very unlikely. And I also think the DA is going to go after Lyle Hard. Remember, there's a little bit more to his case, especially when it comes to allegations that he tried to get people to lie during the time of the trial in order to manipulate the trial and manipulate the testimony. And also, he is the one that pulled the trigger,

reloaded the gun, and shot Kitty, the mother in the head, and keep in mind, that was a focus of the parole board also. Why kill her? He was also older than his brother at the time that the crime occurred. Look, you've said before that oftentimes the first effort at parole

doesn't go through. Do you think they could have a shot, or at least Eric could have a shot, second time around three years from now? I think in three years from now. years, if they have no infractions, especially since that was such a focus of the parole board, they absolutely do have a shot this first time around with a moderate classification as far as risk. It was very unlikely that they were going to be successful. Misty Maris, thank you so much.

We appreciate it. When Top Story continues, color them defiant. The Florida residents rebelling against Governor Ronda Santos after a rainbow crosswalk honoring the Pulse Nightclub victims was suddenly removed what they did to take back their street. Plus, the hundred of fearless skydivers hoping to hurl themselves into the record books. You don't want to miss that story. But first, Top Story's top moment. And this one is for the moms. Kathy Swarm's son, Ben, is off to college,

and in preparation of him leaving, she spent a month gathering her son's childhood toys and photos laying out the memories for him to see. Take a look. Men told NBC's Chicago, the whole thing left him in tears. That video reaching more than 55 million people in three days on TikTok. Stay with us. More news on the way. Turning now to Top Story's news feed, starting with an update on Kilmar Abrego-Garcia,

who was released from a federal prison in Tennessee today. This coming after Abrego Garcia's attorneys requested a 30-day pause, preventing him from walking free last month out of fear that he might be detained by ICE again. His attorney saying he is now on his way to his family in Maryland. Abregio Garcia was wrongfully deported to an El Salvador prison back in March in what the government called an administrative error. And a man hunt is underway in Detroit after a man allegedly shot and killed his ex-wife in the basement of the hospital where she worked. Authorities say the suspect shown here got in a verbal altercation with his ex-wife before firing multiple shots,

then escaping from the Henry Ford Hospital in a car, the one you see here on your screen. A massive police present showing up at the hospital to investigate, the suspect is still on the loose and is considered armed and dangerous. And four-time Grammy winner Lionel Richie had quite the scale. this morning after someone broke into his Beverly Hills home while he was there. The suspect caught on unreleased security footage entering Richie's home but was scared off by his security alarms. After searching the neighborhood, police say they found a man a few blocks away from the home and arrested him on suspicion of residential burglary. And in Illinois, hundreds of people from around the world

taking to the sky, attempting to break two different skydiving records. Take a look at this. 200 fearless skydivers purling themselves out of planes, head down, grasping hands mid-air, working to break the previous vertical world record of 164 people. Another set of fires trying to beat a 250-person formation record. They have made the attempts at least five times so far, with more to come. And we're going to turn now to the battle over Alligator Alcatraz, a federal judge ordering the state to shut down the infamous immigration detention center

in the Florida Everglades. This as ICE ramps up recruiting aiming to. massively expand enforcement operations. NBC's Julia Ainsley gets access to the facility where the agency hopes to train 10,000 new officers. It's dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, a federal facility to detain and deport migrants. But a judge now ordering it shut down over environmental concerns in the Everglades. Florida set to appeal. A new legal hurdle for the Trump administration, which has reduced illegal border crossings to record lows and is now trying to speed up deportations.

This is a mock neighborhood that ICE has set up for new recruits to come in and practice doing what they would do out in the field. Acting ICE director Todd Lyons showing us this facility to train 10,000 new officers. This is the police with a warrant open the door. Doing mock arrest of criminal suspects and a driving course. ICE's new recruits take turns driving in simulated high-speed chases. All is ICE faces escalating criticism from Democrats in sanctuary cities who refused to cooperate. with the agency. Stop attacking our cities. What do you say to that? It's frustrating. We're

dedicated to going out and getting those criminal aliens out of the neighborhood because time and time again, much like we saw in New Jersey, you have an individual that gets arrested twice for DUI. ICE put a detainer on them. They didn't notify us. They ignored the detainer. He goes out later, a third DUI and kills a mother and 11-year-old child. We asked about the call from Washington, D.C.'s mayor, for ICE to stay away from schools. Can you guarantee ICE will not be on school? campuses on Monday in D.C. You're not going to see ICE officers doing a raid or sweep, if you will. But our goal, one that Secretary knows what I was passionate about, is finding those 300,000

undocumented children and those minors that came here to the last administration. We've seen so many cases of some of these children that we've rescued in sex trafficking rings, human trafficking rings, forced labor. And we pressed him on the few cases where American citizens were mistakenly arrested and then released. Do people just have to bring passports with them everywhere they go to prove their citizenship? No, that is a training issue that we're working on. He says violence against ICE officers has soared 1,000 percent, but they've still received 121,000 applications for 10,000 ice jobs. And Ellison, something we learned on the ground there in Georgia is that ice officers

who used to go through that training for 13 weeks are now being streamlined into an eight-week training course. Former officials say they are worried that cuts back on training and on vetting of new officers could lead to problems in the field as the Trump administration tries to reach that 10,000 hiring goal by the end of the year in order to boost deportations. But I asked ICE Director Lyons about that and he said he's not worried that instead they're just condensing the course that people are going into training more days out of the week and that they've cut some of the repetition out of the training courses. He says these people will still. be ready to perform in the field.

Ellison? Julie Ainsley, thank you. In Orlando, Florida State officials painting over a rainbow crosswalk outside of the Pulse nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 mass shooting that targeted the LGBTQ plus community. The move part of a national push to remove painted streets, but community members in Orlando taking to the crosswalk with chalk to push back. NBC's Marissa Para has this one.

With chalk in hand, volunteers. restore the color stripped from this LGBTQ Street Memorial overnight. It was a great feeling to be able to pick up a piece of chalk and join some of my constituents and local residents in repainting that crosswalk that was taken from us. The crosswalk, part of a tribute to 49 people killed in the 2016 Post Night Club shooting that targeted the LGBTQ Plus community was suddenly painted over by state officials Wednesday night. Florida Governor Rhonda Santis posting the next day. We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.

He just wants you to think that you're winning somehow because you're attacking gay people as he does nothing to actually help you. It's time for it to end, folks. It's a memorial. It is there to honor the people who were stolen from us. Brandon Wolf was there the night of the shooting. He survived. Here he is pictured with Governor DeSantis at the Pulse Memorial in 2019. telling us the governor's words then ring hollow today. Ron DeSantis, who once stood in that space with me and told me to my face that he would always have the backs of the survivors and family members who were impacted. It feels particularly personal.

It's all part of a recent Republican push to remove crosswalks like it across the country. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announcing an initiative this summer, writing on X, quote, taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks. Department of Transportation since echoing his mentions of safety telling NBC it has updated its street guidelines and is quote now correcting pavement markings not in compliance including street art previously installed on state right of way such as the intersection in question but in Orlando a refusal to back down we'll just come back bigger and stronger local leaders saying the crosswalk memorial was originally made with Florida DOT approval we did it according to FDOT rules they've actually made some of these crosswalks less safe. A study from Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2022 found that streets with asphalt are, much like the rainbow crosswalk in Orlando, saw an average 17% decrease in the crash rate at the site. Now, as other crosswalks in Florida come under fire, local leaders saying a movement is already growing to resist. What we're seeing

now is that communities are rising up. They're saying we will not be a race. Rasa Para, NBC News. When top story returns, Kristen Welker's exclusive sit down with Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, one week after that Alaska summit with President's Trump and Putin. Lavrov is throwing cold water on suggestions. Putin will hold a meeting anytime soon with Ukraine's president. So where does that leave the push for peace? Don't go anywhere. Now, the top Russian diplomat casting doubt on the president.

prospect of peace with Ukraine. Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, told me the press moderator, Kristen Welker, that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky rejected Trump's proposed terms for a deal. Let's take a look at some of that exclusive interview. So, bottom line, bottom line, there's no meeting plan. President Putin said clearly that he is ready to meet, provided. This meeting is really going to have an agenda, presidential agenda. So that's a big if.

meeting planned, Mr. Foreign Minister. That's a big if. You're saying there's no meeting planned right now. Kristen, Kristen, I am awfully sorry. You're not listening. There is no meeting planned. No meeting planned. For more, meet the press moderator, Kristen Welker, joins us now. Kristen, on Monday, Trump had said that Putin, Vladimir Putin, had already committed to meeting with President Zelensky. Now it seems the Russians are in no rush for that one-on-one. The White House wanted. Tell us more. Alison, I think that's a great way to frame it because you heard Foreign Minister Lavrov basically saying, yes, President Putin will meet with President Zelensky, but he went on to say

an agenda has to be in place before that meeting can happen. And we are a long ways away from having that agenda in place. And so therefore, there is no meeting plan. Now, the other thing that he said, which we've heard the Russians repeat this false narrative repeatedly, is that President Zelensky is not the legitimate president of Ukraine. Now, of course, he was democratically elected, so that's just not the case. But it does underscore Ellison the fact that this is an incredibly challenging conflict to resolve. We know that President Trump campaigned on a promise to bring this war to an end. He said he could do it in 24 hours, but now even he is acknowledging that it is proving to be more complicated and more difficult than he ever could have a match.

For his part, President Trump today was asked about the fact that the Russians seemed to be waffling on a meeting with President Zelensky. It was really notable. He said, well, we're going to give him about two weeks to see if we can actually make any progress. And then he signaled there could be some actions at the end of that. Worth noting, Alison, I also talked to Vice President J.D. Vance exclusively as well. He weighs in on this. But he really pushes the idea that while the peace process may be slow, he believes. it is still moving forward, Alison. In terms of this idea that he mentioned to you, Lavrov, about saying an agenda must be in place first for that meeting to go forward. Did Lavrov also outline for you any of the sort of major sticking points from Russia's perspective? Because he, in theory, is expected to sort of be the chief negotiator, at least for Russia, if these negotiations continue, right? Absolutely.

He was very vague on specifically what the territory should look at. like if in fact there was a negotiation over territory. And I really tried to press him on this big issue that has emerged this week, Ellis, and the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine. Remember, that was really the centerpiece of that summit that President Trump had at the White House earlier this week when European allies in the U.S. said that they would be willing to enter into a joint security agreement with Ukraine, while Russia then following up to say that Russia would need to be a part of any security agreement. I pressed. the foreign minister on that, how can the country that's bombing Ukraine be a part of securing

Ukraine? He rejected that characterization and said, look, that broadly speaking, Russia would need to ultimately sign off on any agreement that were to be in place. That's a non-starter for Ukrainians, and a number of European allies say that just doesn't make sense to think about Russia as being a part of any security agreement. So, Alison, it just really stresses the point that there are major sticking points that remain, even though this idea of security guarantees, has certainly guaranteed come forward as one of the top narratives. It doesn't mean that they've hammered out all of the details yet. And in fact, they're a pretty long ways off, Ellison. So much in that reporting. NBC's Kristen Welker, thank you for more of Kristen's exclusive

reporting or interview with Foreign Minister Lavrov, and also that interview, the exclusive one with Vice President J.D. Vance. Make sure to tune in to meet the press on NBC this Sunday. Staying overseas now with Top Story's Global Watch. Famine officially declared in northern Gaza, the announcement just made by the world's leading authority on hunger as deaths from starvation rise across the Palestinian enclave. And the dire situation there could get even worse as Israel's military pushes ahead with a new operation to seize Gaza City.

Multiple bombings killing at least 17 people in Colombia, including some police officers. A bombing in Northern Columbia killed 12 police officers in a helicopter used to eradicate crops used for cocaine production. And in the nation's south, a car filled with explosives left five dead outside a military base. Both of those attacks, according to officials, have been attributed to members of a former guerrilla group. An archaeologist in Egypt recovering incredible 2,000-year-old relics from a sunken city. Those artifacts pulled from the water off of the coast of Alexandria included a headless statue, and a sphinx, likely from an extension, rather, from an ancient port city. Restoration is underway on the relics used.

They are set to be displayed in a sunken city exhibit in Alexandria. When we return, Bingeworthy is back. We know you've missed it the last couple of weeks with all the breaking news, but grab your popcorn from the biggest loser to the twisted tail of Amanda Knox and the Love Island reunion. We've got you covered on what to watch this weekend. We are back now with Binge, reporter they are look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. We're joined now by

Chris Witherspoon, NBC News Entertainment contributor and CEO of pop viewers. Chris, so good to see you, as always. Friday, to you. I'm questioning this weekend and with some content. Good. Well, let's get started because this next one we have is kind of like going to probably bring back a lot of memories for those of us who grew up at the height of like reality TV starting to pop off, right? So this is a docu series that is on Netflix. It's been getting quite a bit of buzz. It's called Fit for TV, the reality of The Biggest Loser, takes viewers behind the scenes of that popular reality TV competition. Watch. The Biggest Loser was the best thing that never happened to us. It was.

We were not looking for people who were overweight and happy. I'm a secret eater. We were looking for people who were overweight and unhappy. Maybe it would fix my marriage. Maybe it would fix me. I'll do anything to be on your shoe. The biggest loser! They were really reinforcing the stereotypes. People like making fun of bad people. And producers love that . I will say when I first heard about this, I was like, they're bringing that show back.

I don't know if we should. And then I was like, we're not bringing it back. We're looking at sort of what went down. We're running it back and we're looking at when it went down. It was a huge hit in 2003. It just didn't age well. It wasn't the best idea when you stop and look at what really was happening behind the scenes.

And this is that. It's kind of peeling back the layer. All these former contestants were speaking out about the humiliation, how they were like kind of yelled at, be rated. And it wasn't just like the fun that we saw with them losing weight. Now, it was a huge hit. It ran for 17 seasons, but Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, who were like the coaches, are now getting all this backlash. There's talks of lawsuits,

but the show is rating really well on Netflix. Three episodes of a docu-series. Is Bob Barker? Like, he's in it? Is Gillian Michael's in that? Bob Harper, is Gillian Michael's in that? Like old footage of Jillian, but Bob is actually a part of it. But he's getting a lot like the most backlash, because we're seeing these contestants who he made cry, who just like really had the worst And at home watching, we didn't know. And not just the coaches that produced was were also behind the scenes, kind of giving them a lot. Okay, so the next one we have is also one of those things

that if, like, you were alive, I was in college, it was a headline everywhere, Amanda Knox. This is actually a drama series, right? It's called The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. It's executive produced by Amanda herself, as well as Monica Lewinsky. Take a look. In 2007, I was halfway around the world

studying abroad in Italy. I had no idea that my dream... Hello? Is anybody home? Was about to become a nightmare. Meredith? Oh, my God. There is a body. It's Meredith. I mean, a part of me wants to be like,

do you know how Amanda Knox knows Monica Lewinsky? But I'm focusing on the wrong thing. Oh, we'll get there. What? Tell us what you know. Oh, you do tell me everything. But this show, I'll tell you, it's really humanizes. As you mentioned, she was a headline. We all heard about her story, 2007, convicted of murdering her roommate in Italy. We kind of learned of how she got there, her whole backstory, but Amanda

said she didn't want to tell her story. That's so true. Amanda said she didn't want to tell her story, but Monica Lewinsky called her and said, I want to do this. And she said, a fellow member of the sisterhood of ill repute, this is Amanda words, gave her a call. And she was like, if Monica is behind this, I know that she gets, you know, kind of being a headline and being targeted by the press, and not always being all the way true. I mean, the documentary that she had been a part of before was so eye-opening, listening to some of the tabloid reporters that covered it, talking about how they came up

with nicknames for her, and just, I mean, when you look back on it, one of those that you're like, that was so sad. And this actress, Grace Van Pat, remember her name? She's phenomenal. Like, she might get an award for playing Amanda. She's just brilliant, yeah. Okay.

So the next one, we have, It Is a Movie, taken the world by a storm on Netflix, but it's actually going to be in theaters this weekend. It is called K-pop Demon Hunters. Take a look. I can destroy the hunters for good. It's time for a new strategy. You're all I can think of, every drop I break up.

You're my soda pop, my little soda pop. The demon boy band? They're coming after the fans. The Saja Boy! Let's go get these guys. I mean, for little BTS Army fans. I mean, K-pop is so hot right now. I mean, I'm officially a K-pop fan just for the record because of this movie.

And also, I'm an anime fan. I watched this film. It came out back in June, but it's been like making all this steam on Netflix. It shattered all kinds of ratings records for Netflix and for anime. Anything animated on Netflix. But more importantly, as you mentioned, it's coming to theaters, A thousand theaters across the country, they're already sold out. So there's this ravenous fan base, as I mentioned, this broken records.

And also, the song Golden from this film hit number one on the Billboard, top 100, the first time for a K-pop song to happen in the U.S. So it's like this fictional girl group that made this song golden. It's a bop, by the way. It's officially a bop. It's breaking records. There's a franchise here. That, all right.

I'm telling y'all this right now. Look out for part two. Okay, you said it first. Now, super exciting in the reality TV world, Peacock, Love Island, USA, The Reunion. Here's a clip. I'm just looking forward to seeing all the people that voted me out. A lot of people have a lot to say. And I want those things to be played back.

I want to be everything. Jeremiah, you and Bella, is there something going on? Here. Alandrio, was it worth the weight? I'm a mommy. I love that. I love that. What do you think? But first off, I'm so excited for it's Monday night at 9 p.m. on Peacock.

But this show has really just broken all these records for streaming. 59 billion minutes of this watch. It's historic, historic for Peacock, historic for just like dating shows for reality TV. But this is a reunion to watch. Ariana Maddox on today's show and she said there's a lot of drama, but also resolution, a lot of last and unseen moments. So look out for Stevie, unseen moments as well. Okay, no spoilers.

We're going to move on so we don't accidentally give anything up. Not that I know anything, but you might, honestly. I never can tell. You probably do. Okay, so if those selections aren't like kind of up your alley, there are actually a lot of sporting events that you can watch this weekend. So a quick look, the PGA Tour Championship, that one can be streamed on Peacock, matches for the U.S. Open.

Those can be streamed on ESPN Plus. College football season kicks off with some. some game streamed on ESPN Plus and Paramount Plus. Chris, are you going to watch any of them? You know, I'm the most excited for the U.S. Open. Like, to me, Cocoa Golf, on Naomi Osaka, but more importantly, Venus Williams at 45 years old. I never thought in 2005 we'd be talking about her still. I mean, she's coming out of retirement, coming back to the U.S. Open, and she said she's doing it for insurance, like, low-key.

Really? She's had a really hard time with health issues and not having health insurance. So she's back for the health insurance, but also it will be a special. this weekend, just watching those girls. Oh, my goodness. Those women. I mean, I don't know a lot about tennis, but when U.S. Open comes around, I'm like, I want to watch.

I mean, it's such an event. A whole new audience, I think, a whole new generation of just fans and folks that might pick up a racket and become stars. All right. Like me, maybe. Yeah, maybe. It could be your time. And if you need a walk-up song, may I suggest Doja Cat, because she is out with a new one,

this is jealous type. I mean, I love I feel like trying to tough it up a party boy everyone wants you and you know I think she's so interesting

She's like Nikki Minaj vibes of just like I feel like she does everything Totally and I feel like her last album was very dark It was very dark and kind of scary This album is very light and fun and it's a total homage to the 80s The looks, all the songs, her tour

should have gone on a world tour this fall It's gonna be very 80s vibe So this is like her fifth album, the album, her first single, the album is called VIA, or V-I-E, I can't even say it right. I'll trust whatever you say, whatever you say. Yeah, let's go with V, let's go with V. Don't make me look stupid. It's very 80s, it's very 80s.

But I'm here for her being happy because she was so sad on her last album. We need joy right now. Yes, and Doja. And Doja deserves that too. And she's got so much going on. She's so creative and interesting. I love her. Okay, the last one that we have before, we kick off the weekend.

Really, Olivia Dean. She has a new song out. This one is called Man I Need. I already gave you the time and the place, so don't be shy. Just come beat the minute I need. Tell me you got something to get. I want it.

I kind of like it when you call me wonderful. I mean, she has such a great voice. Isn't she? And she's stunning. She's gorgeous. It's kind of like R&B. It's jazz, a little bit of gospel in there. But she said this song is Willie about

knowing how you deserve what you love and not being afraid to ask for it. I need to play that on repeat. Okay, this whole weekend. weekend. You listen to that. I'm here for her. Chris Witherspoon, thank you for being here. We appreciate it. And thank you at home for watching Top Story. I'm Alyssa Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way.