Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, August 4, 2023

Episode Date: August 5, 2023

An unruly crowd of thousands descends on New York City’s Union Square Park after a Twitch streamer promised a PlayStation giveaway. A group of migrants sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in New York suddenly disappears overnight. At least three people are dead after devastating floods hit Slovenia. Florida effectively bans AP Psychology classes because of discussions in the curriculum about gender and sexual orientation. And the U.S. Women’s National Team prepares to take on Sweden in the World Cup.

Tonight breaking news, chaos erupting on the streets of New York City. A massive riot breaking out in Union Square, a crowd of more than 2,000 people, many of them teenagers, overtaking city blocks, people jumping on top of cars and food trucks, throwing things at police, the hordes of people there to see a popular social media influencer who was promising to give away PlayStation and gift cards. That live streamer taken into custody with many others. will have the very latest from the scene. Gilgo Beach Breakthrough,

police investigating the suspected serial killer on Long Island, identifying a victim who was murdered nearly three decades ago, how DNA helped solve that mystery and what it means for the investigations. Also, in New York, that crowd of migrants

that has been sleeping on the sidewalk suddenly disappearing overnight. So where were they sent? Just days after the mayor said the city had no more room. Overseas, torrential rains triggering deadly flashflung. floods in Slovenia. Cars swept away as raging waters overtake the streets. The urgent search

and rescue efforts now underway. Plus, Florida effectively banning an AP psychology course because it contains lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity. A violation of Ronda Sanchez's so-called don't say gay law, why the college board is refusing to alter that curriculum and what it means for students already enrolled in the class. And Team USA looking to turn things around after a disappointing start at the World Cup, do they have what it takes to take home a third straight championship? We'll have everything you need to know

ahead of this weekend's big game. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We want to get right to that breaking news here in New York City. A massive crowd estimated to be about 2,000 people strong descending on Union Square in Lower Manhattan. to see popular Twitch influencer Kai Sanat, who promised to give away PlayStation consoles.

Sanat, who has more than 20 million followers live streaming the moment he arrived at the scene. Within seconds, chaos erupting as his fans closed in around him. Many of the people gathered appearing to be teenagers or even younger. Some of them jumping onto cars and on top of food trucks. The NYPD going block by block in an effort to attempt and restore order. Officers getting pelted with objects as they tried to disperse the crowd. At one point, Sinat apparently pulled out of the crowd and taken into police custody, where he is currently being questioned.

Tonight, order largely restored, but so many lingering questions about how this crowd caught police so completely off guard. NBC's Ron Allen is on the scene and leads us off tonight. Tonight, mayhem in Manhattan, with police say at least 2,000 people mobbing Union Square. getting on top of cabs, and the entrance to a subway, jumping on food carts, pushing, shoving, and throwing objects as police eventually move in. There's a lot of people. I went over there, and it's like, yikes, it's like a lot of crowd.

But, like, I don't even know how to explain it. It's like. Were you scared? I'm not going to lie, yeah, I was kind of panicking. The NYPD says it began after a social media influencer known as Kai Sanat planned an event to give away PlayStation at 4 o'clock this afternoon. decided to come not knowing what we were going to expect or whatever. By 3.30, hundreds of people had already gathered.

The crowd was swarmed when the influencer finally arrived at the park. Individuals in the park begin to commit acts of violence towards the police and the public. Everybody was doing everything, climbing thing. The NYPD declaring a level four mobilization would appear to be hundreds of police officers quickly on the scene. At one point, pulling someone out of the crowd. What did you see? We were there. We were chilling.

People started throwing stuff like glass, cans, everything. And as we're walking away, we hear a big thud. And we just heard another loud bang. It seems like a firework went off. After numerous warnings and after being assailed hit with rocks and bottles and other debris, we started to make arrest. And that the social media influencer is in custody. And Ron Allen joins us now from news.

us now from New York. Ron, remarkably, it seems there were no people injured. Is that right? There are a lot of minor injuries reported, including to police officers, because there was a lot of stuff flying around in the air, rocks, bottles, and police say that there was a construction site in the heart of Union Square, and so some people got access to things like shovels and axes and paint cans, they said. No one was taken to the hospital, so minor injuries only. And tonight, the streets are relatively calm. There's still a very big police presence. There's still a lot of young people out.

It's a Friday night in New York City. But things are back in order and relatively calm. Ron, do we know what is next for that social media influencer? Well, he's in police custody. He's being questioned. At the press conference, the police said that there is a possibility that he could be charged with something like inciting a riot. There's some question about whether he had to permit to do what he did.

unclear at this hour, but it seems very unlikely that he's going to get away, Scott Free. Clearly, this was an organized event. It was advertised heavily on social media. The police say they saw this coming beginning around 1.30 this afternoon. They saw the crowd building. They say they've seen these things before, but somehow this one just got out of hand. Ron Allen, live from the scene. Thank you so much. Next to the latest in the Gilgo Beach investigation. One of the victims previously known as Jane Doe 7 has now been identified almost 30 years after her remains were first found. Authorities now questioning and investigating whether or not Rex Heuerman in jail for three Gilgo murders is somehow involved. NBC Stephanie Gosk has the late details.

Even though accused serial killer Rex Heerman sits in jail awaiting trial, there are still many unanswered questions in the Gilgo Beach murders case. At least 11 bodies were discovered on Long Island over a decade ago. and Herman is accused of killing three of the women. Today, a breakthrough. We are here to announce that as part of the Gilgo Task Force re-examination of all the evidence in the case, we are able to identify Fire Island Jane Doe as Karen Vergata. Karen Vergata was 34 years old, living in Manhattan and working as an escort. Her remains were discovered in 1996 on Fire Island, off the coast of Long Island.

Police couldn't identify her. Nearly 15 years later, Vergata's skull was found here. in a wildlife sanctuary, miles from the other remains. The DA did not link Vergata's death to Rex Hurman. He also didn't say how her skull wound up here in these bushes so far away from the rest of her body. What we do know is that where I'm standing is about four miles from Gilgo Beach. In 2010, police discovered four bodies on Gilgo Beach. Rex Sherman is accused of killing three of them.

Police believed at the time they had a serial killer. In the search for more victims, they found Vergo. Scott's skull just over five months later. But no ID was made until Suffolk County officials assembled a task force, including members of the FBI, last year. In September of 2022, the FBI was able via a genetic genealogy review to identify Ms. Vergata presumptively as Fire Island Jane Doe. Herman has not been accused of her murder, and he pleaded not guilty to killing three other women, vowing to fight his case in court. joins us now on set. Stephanie, 30 years almost. That is a long time. Why did it take so long

for them to identify her? Well, what the prosecutor said today is that no one reported her missing. In other words, the family may not have been looking for her. And then what the FBI did is they used the database of DNA that's out there, you know, people that have posted their DNA. They now use this to track crimes. And in this case, someone who was missing, they identified who they thought her family might be they went to that family, got DNA from them, and that's when they made the match. Stephanie Gosk, thank you. For more on the discovery and what this means for the investigation into the Gilgo Beach suspect, I want to bring in criminologist Dr. Casey Jordan. Dr. Jordan, thank you so much for joining us tonight. This suspect, to be clear, Rex Heuerman, has not been

accused of this murder, but as a criminologist, are you seeing any similarities between Karen's case and the three women the suspect is accused of killing. Of course, and I think the most obvious commonality to everyone is that Karen was known to be an escort in Manhattan, and all of the women who Rex Sherman is accused of killing were also sex workers and escorts. So it does seem odd that this case from 1996 could be connected to these bars in 10,

but we have seen this before. And even though Karen Vergata was a little bit old, 34 years old. Remember that that would have been the age, Rex Herman would have been 33 in 1996, that he may have started with her, taken a break over the years, and then eventually restarted. We do see that. His other victims accused, that he's accused of killing 20 to 27 years old. That could have just emerged as an age preference when he was soliciting sex workers later. You mentioned that you, as a criminologist, do see cases where someone starts murdering people, then takes a break and returns.

How common is that in serial killer cases? It's more common than you think. We've definitely seen it in BTK, who has a lot of similarities to this case, man named Dennis Rader out of Wichita. But what we want to do is, instead of looking at the age, we want to find out what was going on, perhaps, in Rex Sherman's life in 1996, when Karen Vergata disappeared. That was the year he got married to his wife, Azo, who came to the marriage with a child from a previous relationship. Within a year, she has her own baby, their daughter. And you've got to understand that sometimes in the life of somebody, when they are feeling incredible stressors,

a loss of control in their lives with so many upheavals and changes that can trigger a killing. They may not plan on ever repeating it, and maybe their life gets on an even keel with a better family or work. or maybe he uses hunting to offset his stress. But then over years, you may see them start up again, again, when some sort of upheaval enters their life. And when they have the opportunity to do it and get away with it, like when their wife is out of town. I mean, 1996, that was so long ago.

I mean, we're talking almost 30 years. With so much time having gone by, does that make it harder for prosecutors and investigators to figure out exactly what happened to Karen? Does it make it more difficult to perhaps tie it to a suspect like Rex Hewerman? It absolutely does because we have no indication that there was any forensics found. Of course, you know, Karen's body parts were found in different parts of Long Island, some on Fire Island, some in the Bay on Long Island, and of course, the skull found near Gilgo Beach.

It very much indicates that perhaps the body was dismembered to throw people off. But the bottom line is that they are going to use this case as part of their investigation, when they pursue the charges against Mr. Heerman and perhaps leverage it. His attorney does say they're going to go to trial, but of course what the prosecutor wants is a plea negotiation for life in prison and perhaps in exchange for some amenities while in prison get a full confession, not just on these three cases, but perhaps all 11 that we currently are pinning to Gilgo Beach and bring some peace to the families that do think that he could be responsible.

Right. And Rex Hewerman has set through his attorney. that he did not do this. Police and investigators on Long Island, they are adamant. They say that they have their man. Dr. Casey Jordan, criminologist, thank you so much for your insight. We appreciate it. Now an update on the migrant crisis here in New York City. The images we brought you earlier this week of migrants sleeping on the sidewalks, that is no more. They are now in shelters, but advocates accuse the city of playing politics. Here's the latest. This block becoming a symbol for the migrant crisis. in New York. People sleeping in the street for days. The searing images, migrants on top of one

another waited to get into Manhattan's historic Roosevelt Hotel, now serving as a shelter. They were told the city simply did not have enough room to house them. But overnight, they all disappeared. City officials say the people who were sleeping here. About 130 migrants were taken to a church in Queens. We were able to connect with a church that had availability. City workers were seen cleaning the street outside of the Roosevelt Hotel. But advocates say the city was playing politics all along, leaving people on the street instead of trying to help them. And now, advocates say, the city is trying to wash the problem away. The city has been using the migrants as political pawns. They're trying to get more funding

from the federal government, and they're trying to dissuade people from coming here. City Hall refuting those claims, calling the suggestion insulting. The city has not committed that that will not happen again, but we are all very hopeful that it won't. Advocates maintain the city is failing, and Mayor Eric Adams heard it from hecklers. When he visited the migrants outside the Roosevelt Hotel this week, he says New York is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis. From this moment on, it's downhill. There is no more room.

The city is now planning to turn two recreation centers in Brooklyn at temporary shelters for adults seeking asylum. We're seeing more people come every day. We got access to the one that is already open, and according to the city, at capacity. So inside this hotel, this is the first place where people who are seeking asylum are processed in New York City. Officials with the city, they tell us it is hundreds of people coming

to this room every single day. Over the last year, the city has opened 194 sites for migrants, including 13 large-scale humanitarian relief centers. They say they're currently housing over 56,000 asylum seekers. Officials say the federal government needs to step up and that New York City is shouldering the burden of a national issue. This is a problem that is a federal problem. That's why we need federal intervention to help it out.

And New York City can't be the only city and the only place helping out this crisis. And we asked New York's deputy mayor to be on top story tonight, but they were unable to join us. Heading overseas now into the war in Ukraine, a dramatic attack today on a Russian warship at a naval base in the Black Sea from what appeared to be sea drones launched by Ukraine. Richard Engel has laid details. The sea drone slips through the water silently under the cover of darkness. Its target is a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea. The pilotless, remotely operated kamikaze boat packed with explosives is closing in until the video released by Ukrainian security services breaks up.

Afterwards, a Russian ship can be seen listing being guided into a Russian harbor. The Russian military claimed it stopped the sea drone attack and made no mention of damage. NBC News geolocated the video and analyzed. ship logs, the damaged ship looks very much like the one attacked by the drone. With Ukraine's counteroffensive, making little progress so far in the east, it seems Ukraine is finding alternative ways to fight back and take the war to Russia, using small drones to attack downtown Moscow, and now exploding boats. President Zelensky, as with other drone attacks, didn't claim direct responsibility

for the sea drone. But he did congratulate Ukraine's security services for, quote, returning the war to the aggressor state. Alison. Richard Engel, thank you. For more on the war in Ukraine and the latest on Russia's accusations, I'm joined now by Steph Twitty, a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Army and former deputy commander of the United States European Command. He is also in NBC News military analysts. Lieutenant General Twitty, thank you so much for joining us tonight. accusing Ukraine of attacking those Black Sea Navy bases and Crimea with drones. We've also seen them recently accuse Ukraine of carrying out drone strikes in Moscow. Of late, Ukraine often does this thing where they kind of do a wink and a nod after a drone strike, where they

say, or they don't say, rather, that they hit Russia, but they very strongly hint at it. Is Ukraine in a new phase of war? Do you expect to see them carry out more offensive attacks deeper inside Russian-controlled territory? Well, I wouldn't say that they're in a new phase. What they're doing is you want to have your opponent face multiple dilemmas. And so for the past couple of months, almost a year now, this war has been pretty much regulated inside Ukraine. And it's been a pretty hard fought round war. If you really want to put the Russians on the hills, you want them to have to look in multiple directions.

You want to distract them. And this is what the Ukrainians are doing now. They're going after their ships. They're attacking inside Moscow. They're attacking the border cities to provide those multiple dilemmas and take the distraction or take the primary concern off the ground war. And perhaps this will shed light on where the vulnerable defense is within inside Ukraine and maybe they can explore it.

In your experience, is that an ineffective military tactic? Absolutely. You don't want to go into war with just a single plan and a one-dimensional plan. These multiple dilemmas that you see in now can absolutely work over the long term because two things can happen. Again, it can distract Russian forces. But the other thing is it starts to hit home at the Russian people. It starts to impact their way of life. And we're starting to see some of the Russian populace turn against this war.

We do know that Molotov cocktails were thrown at recruitment centers and so forth. So this is what you want to do. You not only want to have these multiple dilemmas, but you also want to sort of whittle away at the will of the Russian people. And we're starting to see that somewhat. Yeah, you're talking about the public opinion of the Russian people. I want to turn and talk a little about the public opinion of the war here, state sides, because the United States, they have given Ukraine a lot of money,

more than $60 billion in aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. We can show some of it broken down here, 43.1 billion in military aid, 20.5 million in economic aid and 2.6 billion in humanitarian aid. U.S. public backing for that level of aid is seeming to waiver, and some polling, particularly among Republicans, we are seeing people say they maybe don't support this anymore. In terms of Republicans, as of this June, 44 percent of Republicans said the U.S. is providing too much support for the war, according to Pew, and that is an old-time high since the conflict started. President Biden continues to promise the United States is with Ukraine, both morally and financially. But he is up for re-election next year.

What would happen if Ukraine lost the U.S. funding and support here? Well, there's no doubt that we're the lead supporter when it comes to not only military aid, but humanitarian aid to Ukraine. A tremendous amount of money is going in. And so I think, to be quite honestly, the Ukrainians have to show some progress here pretty soon that keep not only the Democrats, but the Russians, as well as our allies, in the game on this thing. So progress will need to come pretty soon. Now, what I will tell you is,

from a military perspective, they are making progress, but that is tactical, incremental progress. The strategic progress is breaking the land bridge between Russia and Crimea. And that's what most of our allies want to see. That's what the American populace want to see, the success there.

I'm not so sure. I'm not so sure we're going to get there by winter. Winter will start to creep up on Ukraine here in a couple of months or by the end of the year. But as long as they're making progress, perhaps we can keep everyone on board in this war, and they can keep the funding stream in support of Ukraine. All right. Retired Lieutenant General Steph Twitty. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. We turn back home now to the extreme weather hitting parts of the South District.

Today. Aerial footage shows homes and roads submerged in northwestern Tennessee. Authorities rescuing people from their homes after the area saw nearly a foot of rain. Rescues and evacuations were also reported in parts of Kentucky and Alabama. And those severe storms not letting up as we head into the weekend. So let's get right to Bill Karens. Bill, what is the latest on the track? Well, we're watching the south for the heat. We're watching the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the northeast for severe storms and occasional flash flooding. And that's a what's happening this evening. We do have a couple flash flood warnings that are out. This is kind of flash flood season, middle to end of the summer. Ruland, Vermont's under flash flood

warning. Remember how bad it was in Mount Peeler to the north. This does not look like anything like that, but still isolated cases of washed out roads are possible. We've had a big thunderstorm dump a lot of heavy rain just north of Oneonta, just north of Interstate 88. So here's a look at the watch. The storms will go through about sunset, and then the storms will begin to die off. But we still have areas of pretty strong thunderstorms. One area of central portions of New Hampshire and also in Central PA. Then tomorrow, the severe weather threat, we shift back to the middle of the country, Omaha, Kansas City, and all of Kansas, for that matter. Not too much tornadoes this time of year. It's kind of rare to get tornado outbreaks, but you do get the

flash flooding, you do get large hail, and the wind damage. And then on Sunday, that storm system begins to push for Chicago, Indianapolis. You could have your afternoon plans washed out. It's not going to rain all day, but you do have a chance of severe storms. And eventually through a good section here of Kentucky, including the areas that just had all that significant flooding. early this morning. And as far as the heat goes, this is still ridiculous and it's not ending anytime soon. Still feels over 110 from Houston and New Orleans. That's gross. That's in the shade, by the way. And extreme heat warnings go from Tucson, the Phoenix to Oklahoma. And you guessed it, not going to end anytime soon this weekend, near record highs across the board.

Bill Cairns, thank you. We are also following severe flooding overseas. In Slovenia, at least three people are dead after a month's worth of rain fell there in just 24 hours. Emergency crews pulling people from cars and homes trying to get them to safety. Matt Bradley has our report. A deadly flooding disaster unfolding in Slovenia. Emergency crews carrying out swift water rescues dragging this woman out the window of her car, airlifting survivors from the floods, and using rafts to pull residents from their homes, Torrential downpour is hitting the northern and central regions of the European nation Thursday night,

dropping a month's worth of rain in 24 hours. The mayor of this town saying a landslide has cut off access to one village, and people are still trapped. So far across Slovenia, at least three people dead, thousands more forced to evacuate their homes, a state of emergency stretching across nearly the entire country. Aerial footage revealing the extent of the devastation, entire neighborhoods submerged. Power reportedly knocked out in roughly 16,000 households. The storm, which is still dropping torrential rain, now on the move. A government hydrologist warning an entire river basin in the east could overflow.

The country bracing for more dangerous flooding as it picks up the pieces from the damage already done. Matt Bradley, NBC News. Still ahead tonight an update on a deadly stabbing here in New York City. A beloved dancer killed at a Brooklyn gas station, the news just in about his alleged attacker. Plus, Florida effectively banning an AP psychology course over its content on sexual orientation and gender identity, what it means for the students who were relying on the class for college credit. And the shocking video showing a car driving into a gap on a collapsed highway. how other drivers stepped in to save the person inside. Stay with us.

Florida's students planning to take AP psychology and earn college credit might have to change their plans after the state decided to ban topics that appear in the curriculum. The college board says the course cannot be modified, meaning students could miss out on AP credits. NBC's Guadvinagus is in Florida with that story. Tonight, a new debate ignited over Florida's controversial Parental Rights and Education Act, known by many as the don't say gay law. This week, the state's Board of Education telling educators AP high school psychology classes must be modified to exclude the discussion of gender and sexual orientation. It is wrong to sexualize children. It's wrong to put it in your programming, and it's wrong to try to force that in our school. schools and that we will never back down. The college board, which runs the AP program stating

that a modified version of the class is not compliant with the requirements to give students college credit. The board advising Florida districts not to offer AP psychology until Florida reverses their decision. The news just days before many high school students return from summer break. I was hoping that I'd be able to get some insight in what the class is like at, you know, a college level. Parents now considering how the change could even impact their wallet. I did the math today, and this AP course alone saved me over $2,000 in college tuition. The question becoming, will Florida students be left with fewer opportunities as they navigate higher education? I just think that sexuality is one of those fundamental aspects of socialization

that provides the basis for so many greater things that you're going to learn in psychology. The Florida Department of Education saying, we encourage the college board to stop playing games with Florida students and continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly. Some school board members outraged. Those that went to Florida this year will not have the college credits that the other states students will have. Now, that's a pretty big disadvantage. DeSantis telling NBC News people shouldn't worry just yet. We work really hard to give kids college credit. We do have AP. We have Cambridge. We have international baccalaureate, and we've really expanded dual enrollment with our community colleges.

So that's part of our course catalog. It's being offered. I think they have taken it back. I think that's a mistake. And I bet you it'll end up being offered. This latest controversy coming in as the state faces backlash over another curriculum shift. Florida updating its African American history course to include required instruction to, quote, show that some slaves, developed highly specialized trades from which they benefited. The move sparking outrage, the governor's political opponents firing back. There's no silver lining that's free, enslaved it. Vice President Kamala Harris, not mincing words in Orlando, after DeSantis invited her to debate the curriculum.

And I will tell you, there is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation. we will accept to debate an undeniable fact. There were no redeeming qualities of slavery. DeSantis saying critics are taking the line out of context. It's an accurate depiction of both the injustice of slavery, but also the resourcefulness of African Americans at that time and post-bellum. That's just true. And if people are going to try to distort that and lie about it,

I am not going to back down from that. Guadvanegas joins us now from Miami. Guad, specifically looking at this change to AP psychology courses, the governor did say that schools have the option to teach courses alternate to the college board AP psychology. But what does that mean for students who want to receive college credit? So, Ellison, those courses that Ron DeSantis was talking about are part of a different model where teachers receive content and they decide what to include. in the course. But in order to remain compliant in Florida with the new standards, they will have

to avoid discussing gender identity and sexual orientation. It's going to be up to the universities to decide if they offer credit for any psychology class in which it is chosen to avoid gender identity and sexual orientation. Ellison. All right, Guadvanegas in Miami. Thank you. We appreciate it. Next tonight, six former law enforcement officers in Mississippi have pleaded guilty to a series of disturbing crimes after investigators say they tortured two men for hours. NBC's Miguel Almagare has the story.

Tonight, Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins say justice can be served now that the six white Mississippi law enforcement officers who beat them for nearly two hours have entered guilty pleas. I finally gave up. I knew how it was to give up.

It wasn't a surviving. It was a hoping I'll make it to the end. Prosecutors in Mississippi say the officers tortured, used racial slurs, and sexually assaulted the two black men inside a Braxton home last January. Court documents reveal the officers who called themselves the goon squad, broke down the door,

beat, taste, and threatened to rape Parker and Jenkins while calling them the N-word and monkeys as they accuse the men of sleeping with white women. They come in there and do what they want to do. which torture us and they came to do what they did the five Rankin County Sheriff's deputies Brett McApplin Jeffrey Middleton Christian Deadman Hunter L Ward and Daniel Opdyke were joined by Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield the federal complaint says one officer put a gun in Jenkins mouth pulled the

trigger and nearly killed him what did I do you know all these you know really officers, you know, do they do this? You know, why are they doing it to me? Authorities say the officers tried to cover up their crime by planting a gun in the home and drugs on the victims after their so-called raid. The officers charged with several crimes, including civil rights violations and obstruction of justice. In their minds, the law and the Constitution be damned.

They became the criminals they swore to protect us from. Al McGare, NBC News. When we come back, deadly home explosion, the blast in New Jersey, killing at least four people and leaving several homes damaged, what authorities are saying about the two survivors. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with an update in a deadly stabbing of a dancer here in New York City. Police say the suspect turned himself in today. O'Shea Sibley was stabbed to death at a Brooklyn gas station after eyewitnesses say a group yelled homophobic slurs at him while he was dancing. Police have not yet released the suspect's name or a motive.

An investigation tonight after a deadly explosion in a New Jersey neighborhood. Video showing the fiery aftermath of the explosion that left at least four people dead, a one-year-old and a teenager remain in critical condition. Three other homes were damaged. No word yet on what caused the blast. Overseas now to the terrifying scene on a highway in China. Shocking dash cam footage shows the car falling off a gap in the highway and into the water below. Local authorities say the driver was rescued by eyewitnesses and was not seriously hurt.

Officials say the highway collapsed during a powerful typhoon, which made landfall in China last week. And back here at home, the biggest bank in America, J.P. Morgan Chase says it, no longer anticipates a recession this year, but many employers are still struggling to find skilled workers with vocational skills, especially in high demand. NBC's Tom Costello has the latest job number. That buzz in St. Paul, Minnesota, is the sound of automation. Small business, Delcour Robotics, has doubled in three years, building machines that can package 600 food products per minute. What's your read on the economy? Is it slowing down, or is it still strong. We see an economy that's still strong.

CEO Dale Anderson wants to hire another 40 to 50 employees by years end. The challenge, finding qualified workers. Half the staff have engineering bachelor's degrees. The other half have associates in robotics or automation. What are you looking for in an employee? The number one thing we look for is a good attitude, a desire to learn. I'm wiring these push buttons to some terminals. Like 20-year-old Alexis Barnett making $27 an hour with no debt. When I do go out with my friends, I'm the only one that's not worried about how much we're spending, where we're going, how much gas is going to cost. Minnesota's unemployment rate 2.9%.

It's among the lowest unemployment rates in the country, and with 185,000 job openings in Minnesota, That's the third most on record. While job gains are slowing nationally, wages are up 4.4% in a year. National unemployment near record lows 3.5%. And as today's jobs numbers make clear, Bidonomics is working. On the factory floor. It's a pay for skill knowledge, so the more you learn, the more you get paid. Pay three to four years in that field of robotics should be making close to, if not more than 100,000 years.

That's a good salary. It's a great salary. Upward mobility, even without a four-year degree. Tom Costello, NBC News, St. Paul, Minnesota. Coming up, World Cup Ready, Team USA gearing up to take on Sweden in the round of 16. So what's at stake, and how is the captain of the team feeling about the match? That is next. Welcome back. We are gearing up for a big week. at the World Cup, where the U.S. Women's National Team looks to continue their quest for a third straight title.

But first, let's take a little stroll down memory lane. Team USA making history and winning their first women's World Cup in 1991. Then in 1999, when the U.S. was hosting the World Cup, Brandy Chastain famously ripped off her jersey at the Rose Bowl as the U.S. defeated China in penalties. It would take another 16 years for the U.S. to be at the top of the podium, with Carly Lloyd scoring a hat trick in the 2015 final. And then in 2019, the U.S. was victorious again after Megan Rapino and Alex Morgan led the team through the tournament with six goals each. Now, the U.S. is set to begin knockout rounds against Sweden this weekend in Melbourne, Australia.

And NBC News, foreign correspondent Molly Hunter, is there and joins us now live. Molly, it is so good to see you. You have been there for all of it capturing all the high. and lows of U.S. fans. What is at stake this weekend for the U.S.? Ellison, great kind of run through history right there. And that is what is its sake. It's the legacy of this team. We are in knockout rounds. This is the round of 16, Ellison. So if the U.S. loses, they go home. That is the ballgame here. And, Molly, this is not the first time the two teams have faced off at a major tournament, right? No, this is a very familiar opponent for the U.S.

And actually, we spoke with co-captain Lindsay Horan, and she said this would not be an international, a major international tournament if the U.S. did not play Sweden. It is the most played matchup in FIFA women's World Cup history. Alison, I'll run you through a couple of stats. This will be the seventh time the U.S. will face Sweden in the World Cup. Interestingly, though, the first time in the knockout round, so the first time out of the group stage in the last Olympics, Sweden beat the U.S. 3-0, Ellison. And in the 2016 Olympics, Sweden won in penalty kicks. The other thing about a knockout round, you cannot tie. So if at the end of full-time, at the end of additional time, it is still a draw, you go into that extra time and you go into penalty kicks.

We are very excited for Sunday. And, Molly, we have watched you interview the new stars of the team from Sophia Smith to the legends of the team like Megan Rapino. What are you hearing from the team right now ahead of their match? Yeah, Alison, and what's interesting about this World Cup is there are five days in between games. So after that last game against Portugal, look, big picture it got them out of the group. but they were not happy with their performance. They were disappointed after that. And we had a chance to speak with co-captain,

Lindsey Horan. She is a real playmaker on the field. She is a midfielder. Take a listen to what she had to say about going into Sweden. And I'll talk to you on the other side. It's finding those pieces of joy, you know, finding that confidence within ourselves. More importantly, individually, going in and knowing that we are special players, everything that we can do.

Myself included, it's just like we can go out and be incredible if we believe in our abilities, we believe individually, you know, what we can do. Yeah, Alison, now after that game, it's right, there's a helicopter going over. We were just on the river in Melbourne. After that last game, they were so disappointed. But interestingly, speaking with the veterans, like Megan Rapino, like Lindsay Horan, like Alex Morgan, who came out into that mixed zone. It's the area right after the game where we can speak with players.

They were upbeat. They were saying, look, big picture, we got through. That was the goal. It does not always have to be pretty. And if they win the World Cup, if they win the title, no one's going to be talking. talking about how they played in the group stage. But really interesting, Lindsay held a press conference. And then you just saw I just got to speak with her after that.

And she talked about they really need to find the joy again on the field. They need to figure out why they're there, and that's going to get them playing better. Alison? Molly Hunter juggling it all from interviewing the big names to being with the team on the pitch, to helicopters in Australia. You were the greatest. Thank you so very much. Molly Hunter, we appreciate it.

And when we come back, a look at what to binge watch and listen. to this weekend. The hit Netflix series Heart Stopper back for its second season plus the popular Super Mario Brothers movie now available on streaming and new music by Hallie Baby. We are back now with

bingeworthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. We're joined now by NBC News entertainment contributor Chris Witherspoon. Chris, thank you so much for joining Top Story. The first one, we have i'm excited to talk about i did not realize this is season two yes of a show called heart stopper it is on netflix and again season two let's take a look okay i want to tell people

it's hard to find the right time your friend group is so nice how did you get to know everyone uh well um i want you to come out when and how you want to come out when and how you want to I mean, you said you can't believe this show's on Netflix. I can't believe it's here. Like, how do we miss it? It's such a great show. I've been mentioning it this past week, but it's about this boy named Nick, who's in high school, who's coming to terms of sexuality. He is gay.

The first season, he's trying to, you know, match up himself with this boy who's kind of on the verge of being gay, bisexual. This season is coming out to his mother, which is a very complex thing to do. I went through this. I'm like, where is this series when I was back in high school in Ohio? But it's a great cast. People love this show, and I think it's going to get a lot of great buzz this weekend. And so season one, you missed season one, too. Yeah, I think I did this week, and it's worth watching.

It's worth watching. You can get the first season and second season now on Netflix. Full weekend set. Okay, good. If that doesn't work for people, though, I think that one is definitely top of the list. We have another series that is back for another season. This one is called Reservation Dogs. It's a show that is about the experiences of a group of indigenous teens.

It's on Hulu. This is also its final season. Take a look. The Red So, It's Return. Who's so grounded. Where's bear? I'm old enough to feel, oh, who's beyond enough to die? The path of healing is often found an opportunity to help others.

What does that mean? You're on trash, Judy. Maybe next time you'll think twice about running away and not telling anybody. Why am I here? I didn't even go to California. It's called Probably Cause. Knowledge Bomb! Oh, God.

It's called Probably Cause, not Probable Cause. This show is so good. A lot of folks still haven't heard about it, but it's about four indigenous teens. in Oklahoma, who they rob, they steal, they love, they do everything to get their way to California, to make it to the great land of California. But it comes from Taika Watiti, who's the co-creat of this show. He did Jojo Rabbit, movies like Thor directed those. This movie, the series has a bunch of buzz.

This is the final season. So folks, are a little bit sad about it, but Tyke has said he wanted to end it at this season. He felt like the story was ready to be told and wrapped up. Interesting. Okay. So the next one that we have, this is a pretty popular one on Max, not HBO Max, just Max now. It's called Winning Time, the rise of the Lakers Dynasty.

It is a sports drama. It is back for its second season. It has obviously a whole lot about the Lakers. Watch. Basketball's the sport of the decade. You've got the kids on the team now. The bus empire's taken off. We brought home to gold, but one ring ain't going to keep us in that room.

You've got to keep winning. Look, Irman. You know why nobody repeats. Because the guys that you beat along the way, they spent all that time figuring out new ways to break you down. So I have added this to my household to watch list. What I have been told, the first season got mixed reviews. Well, you know what?

I am not a basketballista, Ellison, but I love this show. Really? I started watching it. It's so good. It's so well done. It's about like the 80s. And the Lakers were kind of a down-and-out team. They weren't doing too well.

In 1980, they came back from. a losing season to win the NBA championship. So it's all about, like, Cream of Dujabar, the first season. Season two is about Magic Johnson's character, played by Solomon Hughes plays Kramer Abdujabar, and Quincy Isaiah Magic Johnson. They're both phenomenal actors. Okay. I think you should watch it.

Give it a chance. I'm going to. I'm such a sucker for nostalgia, and I love looking at it, that I felt like the graphics, everything in the trailer, were such a throwback that I was like, okay, I can vibe with this. And John C. Riley plays the coach and does it so well. Okay. Okay, done. Two things out to my list. Let's see. Okay. Now, if we want a more, I think, serious approach this weekend. There's a new series that is on Prime Video. This one is about a little girl, I believe, or a girl, and she has a life-changing event. It's called The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart. Let's watch together. Every day is a chance to start over. Alice deserves it.

And we do, too. You really think that a refuge full of dramatized people is the best place for her? She's lost her whole family. No, she hasn't. So the trailer with this for me, I was like, I have no idea what's going on. Just so you know, this one comes from the producers of The Undoing and Big Little Lies, a company called Made Up Stories. So they always do these stories that are kind of layered.

But it's about this young girl or a woman, a girl who loses her family, and we're seeing her now as a woman after her mother and father passed away, but we go back to when she was younger and moved him with her grandmother, played by Sigourney Weaver, and you have me as Sigourney Weaver. Yeah, I mean, an icon. When she does TV, you stop and you listen and you look. But it's getting great reviews, and again, it comes from these folks that know how to do suspense with the layers in there. There's lots of layers and twists and turns. All right. Okay, the next thing that we have, it's the last thing on our two watch list.

Obviously, we've got that to listen to coming up, but this is a movie that was really popular in the theaters. Yes. And if you didn't catch it there, you can now watch it for free streaming on Peacock, the Super Mario Brothers movie. Watch. Not sure if you know who I am, but I'm about to rule the world. Wow. Yay. But there's one problem.

There's a human, has a mustache just like you. Do you think I know every human being with a mustache wearing an identical outfit with a hat with a letter of his first name on it? Because I don't. Peak 90s kid, nostalgia. I mean, you just said you have your Nintendo 64 still. I love this. And it works if you want to come over. The old game, it's great.

This is the highest grossing film this year. So there's something here, the nostalgia pieces in there. People love this movie in theaters. I loved it myself, my son, who plays 64 now and all that stuff. We watched it together. But the cast is incredible. Chris Pratt. Then Jack Black, who plays Bowser.

He has this song in this movie that went viral. I will not sing it right now. I'm asking this thing in, but it's a great film. Yeah, people should watch it. If you use it sold in theaters, it's something good to watch this weekend. Okay, so now moving to music, Hallie Bailey has a new song out right now. It is off the heels of starring in The Little Mermaid. This one is called Angel.

Hallie Bailey can kind of do no wrong, so let's listen. Black girl here, black girl with a black girl here, took a little suncase just to look like this. God said you're an angel. Angel, Angel, Angel, I know. Angel, Angel, and what you're your angel? They know your remains. She's so talented. I know.

So talented, so beautiful. And what do you do after Little Mermaid? You slay our lives with this song, Angel, which is just so good. And just so you know, this is her first single without her sister. Yes. So Chloe and Haley, they are Beyonce's protégé. Jayezer, signed her record label. This is her first solo single, and she killed it.

Yeah. Right? Yeah. I mean, it sounds good. I want the whole album. This is just a whole album. When is a new album? We don't know yet. Yeah, but she's teasing us. Already a million views for this in one day, less than 24 hours. The Bailey sisters are just stars, but Hallie Bailey is on just like

an astronomical high right now, which well earned. So. She's funny. Can we talk about that? Oh, she's gorgeous. Yes, it's like, how do you have so much talent? Good. And you're funny. And you can act.

I've interviewed her several times. She's so kind, so sweet, so thoughtful. I love her, but I hate her. I know. Okay. So finally tonight, we have Doja Cat, who I really do like. Like Doja Cat is so much fun. This song that she has is called Paint the Town Red.

The music video is pretty good. Fame ain't something that I need no more because I said what I said. I'd rather be famous instead. I let all that get to my head. I don't care. town bed I said what I said I'd rather be famous instead

I let all that get to my head I don't care I paint the town She's just so creative She does like so much visual Visually interesting things with her music And Doja says this is her new era of music So she was a fourth album coming out At some point this year

We don't know when yet But this video very provocative She doesn't know to get folks talking She takes you from this world that we're living in right now To her version of hell So she pushes the envelope creatively, but her music is so catchy.

She has this very unique sound. So, like, no matter what she does, we know it's Doja from the first note. It's like the little Nas contrast of like upbeat music, lyrics, melody with like these edgy or darker images. And it makes you think. I'm ready for this album as well. All right, me too.

Thank you for being here. This was so much fun with... You take your popcorn. Chris Witherspoon. We always love having you here. Thank you at home for watching Top Story. For Tom Yamis, I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there.

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