Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, December 6, 2024

Episode Date: December 7, 2024

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.

Tonight, killers escape. Investigators now believe the man who shot and killed the United Healthcare CEO has left New York City. The new developments in the search for the suspect's backpack, what police just found in Central Park. But how did this killer get away, especially with the largest police force in the world, trying to hunt him down? Also breaking tonight, the manslaughter charge just dropped in the Daniel Penny trial. The jury deadlocked, unable to reach a decision on the... the top charge tied to the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely. One-on-one with President-elect, Trump's speaking with her own Kristen Welker in his first sit-down

interview since winning the election. What he's saying tonight about Pete Heggseth, his pick to lead the Pentagon. France in the spotlight as the iconic Notre Dame reopens five years after going up in flames. But is the country's political chaos overshadowing the restored masterpiece? The nation plunged into political uncertainty after the prime minister, was ousted, prompting calls for President McCrone to step down, how McCrone's moment of triumph is turning into turmoil. Is it why he invited Trump to be part of the reopening?

The notorious drug lord just released from prison, a leading member of the Meijian cartel portrayed in shows like Narcos and Griselda, walking free after more than two decades behind bars, his cocaine fortune even landing him on the billionaires list in Forbes magazine. And is TikTok just weeks away from being based. And in the U.S., the new appeals court decision putting the app's future in limbo, what it could mean for millions of users and creators. Plus, a possible game changer in weather forecasting, the new AI program outperforming traditional models. Top story starts right now. And good evening, new clues tonight, a potential major discovery, but the manhunt for the gunmen who shot and killed,

United Health Care CEO now stretching into its third day. At this hour, the public still doesn't know the killer's identity, and now police believe he's left New York City, meaning he could be anywhere. But late today, a key piece of evidence may have been found. We're just learning that gray backpack has been located in Central Park. The NYPD had deployed drones, as you see a team here, doing just that to help in the search. Police now working to find out if it's the same bag used by the suspected shooter. Also new today, authorities believe the person of interest you see here may have left the city through a busy bus terminal.

Right now, police are tracing the suspect's steps and combing through security cam video, hoping it will help track him down. The targeted attack sending shockwaves across the entire industry, Medica, a Minnesota-based health insurer, shutting down its campus as a result of the murder. And health care provider sentine releasing this message, quote, in the wake of the tragic loss of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, Centines Investor Day will now be hosted virtually. A number of companies, including the ones you see right here, are now removing their leadership pages from their websites. We have a lot to get to tonight. NBC's Sam Brock starts off our coverage. Even with a growing trove of images captured on camera connected to the brazen and targeted killing of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday morning, tonight no suspect has been named by the NYPD.

And New York City's police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said in an interview with CNN, she believes the person of interest in the case has escaped Manhattan. We have released the photo yesterday. We would appreciate you getting that photo out to your audience because we also have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City. Tish telling CNN the NYPD has a massive camera canvas as well as a combination of fingerprints and DNA evidence. The department's chief of detectives, Joseph Kenney, said to CNN that surveillance video allowed them to track the shooter's whereabouts from the crime scene up to Central Park, where he traveled on a bike, exiting the park at West 77th Street. Eventually, we have him on 86th Street and Columbus Avenue walking. He loses the bike. And then from there, we have him in a taxi cab, and a taxi cab takes him up to 178 Street and Broadway, which, as we know, is a Port Authority bus center. Those buses are interstate buses. That's why we believe he looks. He may have left New York City. Those officials noting there is video of the man entering the station, but not leaving, which is why police believe he was on a bus out of the city and that they don't know which

bus he was on. One possible break in the case coming late today after police launched a drone search over Manhattan Central Park looking for the backpack worn by the shooter. A gray bag was located, according to two senior law enforcement officials. Investigators now looking to see if it is the bag used by the suspected shooter. Police officials hopeful that releasing this image of the person of interest, the only visual revealing his face will lead to tips from those who know him. The snapshots coming from a hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where according to a senior law enforcement official, the man only took his mask down in order to flirt with an employee at the hostel's front desk. The images essential to NYPD's efforts to establish an identity through facial recognition to help solve a calculated murder that's also rattled an entire industry.

This is so unprecedented. It has really made a lot of executives very much on edge. The insurance sector now making dramatic changes, some leading companies taking profiles and information about their top executives off public websites. With CVS Health confirming they did just that, insurance companies sent team with a late pivot also, moving its in-person investor conference scheduled for next week to virtual.

Bertha Coombs is CNBC's senior health care reporter. A number of companies are not wanting to talk about it, understandably, because they also don't want to exacerbate the conversation. But they are very much concerned, and they're very much concerned about the type of discussion that has been happening online. Vitriol and frustration with the health insurance industry over denied claims spilling out on social media in the wake of Thompson's murder. Security and protection firms say across industries, executives and companies are calling for help. This rocked the soul of the industry. It really did. Matthew Dumber runs Crowell's Enterprise Security Risk Management. Our phones are ringing off the hook and our email inboxes are flooded with folks that we have a relationship with and those that are reaching out to establish a dialogue.

Sam Brock joins us live tonight from Midtown Manhattan. Sam, let's go back to the investigation and the Manhunt. A lot of details tonight, a lot of new information. What more do we know about that backpack that's been found? Yeah, certainly, Tom, you can understand why the backpack is of paramount importance to senior law enforcement officials maintain the fact right now that we do not know yet whether that gray backpack did in fact belong to the shooter or not, that it's being sent out to the lab for testing more than likely, and also that it wouldn't just be opened up and dumped out of the middle of the park when you consider what might be inside of it, whether that's a firearm or writings, computers, communications, anything along those lines, that you have fingerprints and DNA to could potentially be tested. They are going to be extremely delicate with that. Also, Tom, we're learning that the backpack was discovered somewhere near where the suspect fled on his bicycle. And you heard from the chief of detectives earlier that he was last spotted on 77th Street on the bike, and it wasn't until about 10 blocks later on 86th Columbus that he had shed it. We're exactly in the park. We have not exactly pinpointed, but it does seem like somewhere in that region is where investigators may have uncovered that backpack.

All right, Sam Brock, with a lot of new reporting tonight. Sam, we thank you for that. Joining us again tonight to break down these latest details is John Monaghan. He's a retired captain with the New York Police Department and quickly becoming a good friend of top story. John, it's good to see you tonight. I want to start with something that may be a cliche, I don't know, but they say the first 48 are the most important hours in the investigation. 48 hours have come and gone. There is no suspect in custody.

How much more difficult does that make it for the NYPD? Well, a lot more difficult, especially now that he may have left town. It's the whole country to look for this guy. You know, there's a lot of ideas, a lot of avenues. The main thing, as you can see, when you see Joe Kennedy give that press conference, let's catch this guy. All the other stuff, the peripheral stuff, who is he, you know, why did he do this, what's going on, let's catch him.

And that's what they're working on. The backpack is going to help if it's his, let's hope. You know, when they're done with the, if this is not his and they've done their drone work over the park, the next thing is they've got to start dredging waterways. Right. That's three or four big waterways in that part. Yeah. Let's hope it's the backpack.

Let's talk about the map. You just mentioned the chief of detectives talking about the way he got out. I want to put up this map for our viewers here. So the dots in the middle there, they looked a little crunched up. That's because a lot of that stuff happened, you know, within blocks there in Midtown Manhattan, not too far from 30 Rock where we are tonight. He gets into the park, goes up, jumps into a cab, heads to the Port Authority bus terminal. What does this tell you about his getaway?

You know, he has told us something about himself. He doesn't realize. It starts with that alleyway. It's not an alleyway, it's a beautiful plaza, right? But that he thought to take that little secure to his route, the bike he jumped on was one straight block away. Yet he went through that alleyway. And then he exits the park in 77th Street. His destination is 104th.

He could have stayed in the park till 100th Street. He's doing these moves to throw off a tail. He's telling us something about himself. We need to listen to him. He went into that Port Authority bus time room. Now, Joe Kenny was on that press conference saying his video from going into the terminal and no video of them coming out. Well, the New York City subway system runs right underneath that terminal. And there's a tunnel that goes from the bus terminal to the 175th

Street and Broadway train station. So he went in. Is he going in there to throw us off to double back down the Port Authority? I know his guys are looking at that. They're going to look at everything. And he took a Greyhound into town, right? There's only three cities Greyhound goes to from that bus terminal. Philly, Boston, D.C. There's all the bus companies in that terminal. But so he has told us what he does. He doubles back, he doubles back, he doubles back. What does that tell you? What does that mean?

Well, it means that he went into the Port Authority bus terminal. Doesn't mean he took a bus out of there. Maybe he went in there, just like he went down the alleyway, just like he jumped out of the park in 77th, maybe he went in there to double back down to Port Authority. Takes a bike, takes a subway, takes a cab, takes a, takes a Greyhound bus. I mean, he's all over the place, right? Right. I mean, does this tell you that this was very well thought out, very well planned out? He's put a lot of thought into it.

He obviously put a lot of thought into this, right? And he is telling us something about himself, and we need to listen. He's a young guy, though. He looks like young. They've confirmed that is the suspect with the mask down inside the hostel. That might have been his only mistake that we know of so far. What does it tell you that a guy this young has been able, and I don't want to say out smart because the police could be outside his door right now,

but you have the biggest police force in the world, and you have this guy who's seeming to have vanished. in thin air. What does that tell you about the sky? Well, first, let me say this. It's a city of 8 million people. On the island of Manhattan's probably got 2 million people on it at any given moment. Surveillance cameras is one thing. I know we're not relying on them entirely. Shoe leather is a big part of this. Where the camera tells you he was, now you've got to get out there and start talking to the store clerks, the delivery men, the doormen, everybody

in that neighborhood, particularly the people at the hostel, of course. So there's a lot of work that's been going on me, think about it, Tom, that they found out about the hostile. They found out that he took the bike, got out of subject. That's a lot. You know what I mean? They are finding a lot. They haven't found him. But they all make a progress. Talking about things they found, let's talk about the potential backpack. This may be the backpack. But as you alluded to last night, he may also be dropping clues to throw off police. But in general, if this is the backpack, how big of a development is that? Oh, it's big. It's very big. Now, he's been very, we'll say, smart, or at least he planned this out to this point. Would he have left anything in there with

value to us unlikely. If he's just going to drop it, he didn't seem to be in a panic. Tom, we saw that video. He walked away from the man at first. So is he going to drop a backpack in the woods in Central Park that contains items that can identify him? I doubt it very much. So even if that is his, is it going to give us anything? Maybe DNA. Do you think police know who they're looking for or do you think they still don't know? I mean, would they release his name? Would they want the public to help in the search? Here's how this would work. Yeah. If we identify him, let's say right now they got his name. Yeah. They're not going to say anything until they can find out if they know where he is and

they can snatch him up. If they get to the point, let's say they have identified him. But they did release his image. They did release his face. Well, that's because they don't know who he is. And we need the public to help us. So let's say they did ID him. They're not going to tell us that until they run out of ways of finding him.

And when they get to the dead end and realize we can't put our hands on this guy, then they go public and say we have a done. So the news is going to break one way or the other. We've identified him. We need you to help us find him. What we've identified him, and here he is, we got him. Yeah, the Chief of Detectives, the commissioner came out. They did that interview tonight, which is a big deal.

Why do you think they went public with that interview? Well, he got on that Port Authority bus terminal. We need the whole country to be looking for this guy now, not just people of Manhattan. We need, I mean, you know, I really think, I mean, Minnesota is connected to this. We understand Atlanta might be connected to this. Again. And the Atlanta PD has been contacted as well. They're working and trying to help the NYPD.

Let me ask you, now that he might be cross-country, he might be on a... bus. Does the FBI get involved, or is this still the NYPD's investigation? They can help if they want. They have a lot of resources we could use. Sure. And we have joint task forces. We work closely with them all the time. Before we go, I want to show you another piece of video we have that's come in today. It was him walking by some trash bags. He appears to either drop something or touch the trash bag or something. This is the video right here. Does this tell you anything? And I know it's random, but it looks like he's putting something by there. It's unclear what it is.

Is anything you can draw from that? You know what? It's a very specific thing he's doing. He's not just throwing something away because, you know, you would just toss it. He may have been picking something up. I don't know what he was doing. You know who I feel sorry for?

The cops have got to go out to the city dump now and find that big garbage because they're going to go look. Or they're going to go look for it. They'll find out what truck was assigned to that street, what day in time to pick up was, and they're going to go find that garbage head. And they'll sort through a mound until they find it.

It's an odd act. I can't imagine what he was doing there. We have loved talking to. We're going to keep talking to you, I'm sure, in the days and weeks ahead, until they catch this guy. Thanks. Thank you tonight. Okay, now to another New York case that's captivated the country. The judge dismissing the top charge of manslaughter in the trial of Daniel Penny, the former Marine charged in the chokehold death of subway performer Jordan Neely. NBC senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett breaks down what happened in court today. After days of deliberations tonight, a jury in Manhattan going home, deadlocked on the most serious charge facing Dan. Daniel Penny, accused of putting a fellow subway writer in a fatal chokehold last year. Late today, the judge dismissing a second-degree manslaughter charge, leaving jurors now to

consider only criminally negligent homicide, which carries far less prison time. The case sparking fierce opinions and questions about race, mental illness, and public safety. After this video spread widely, showing Penny, a white Marine veteran, putting Jordan Neely, who is black and homeless in a chokehold for roughly six minutes as his body went limp. Witnesses described a harrowing subway ride last May. Neely, a former Michael Jackson impersonator with a history of mental illness, shouting and erratic that day. I was sitting over there, I heard the young man that's on the floor saying, you know, hey, I'm willing to die, you know, I'll do anything. I'm willing to die. I'll go to jail. The defense

had tried to cast Penny as a protector, concerned for the safety of others, asking jurors, who would you want on the next train ride with you? Prosecutors argued Penny was reckless and went too far, holding on to Neely even after the train had stopped, and other passengers begged him to let go. Telling jurors, even though the defendant started out trying to do the right thing, as the chokehold progressed, the defendant knew that Jordan Neely was in great distress and dying, and he needlessly continued. Laura, Jared, joins us tonight here on Top Story. So, Laura, explain this to our viewers, right?

And even to me, because I'm a little confused, what's the difference between a charge of manslaughter and then the charge of criminally negligent homicide? I think the jury was confused, too, because they asked to hear the law again and again and the evidence again. Best way to think about this is like a sliding scale of culpability, right? You think about intentional premeditated murder on the one hand, and then criminally negligent homicide is really on the further end. So it's something lesser.

The best way, if you think about something you didn't really. understand the risk, but you probably should have known better, versus you really ignored a risk. That would be second-degree manslaughter. And so on that charts, that now goes away. They only get to consider the criminally negligence. Is there prison time for a crime like that? It could be up to four years, but the judge could also decide no prison time. Up to four years. And then my last question before you go, could he be tried again since there was no verdict on the manslaughter? Yeah, that we don't yet know about it. And it could be interesting. The prosecutors could decide to dismiss this and not retry him again. But if they declare it just a full

mistrial, then the prosecutors could try to bring him back for a second round. All right, Laura Jarrett for us tonight. Laura, we thank you for that. Turning down to an NBC News exclusive interview with President-elect Donald Trump. Trump's sitting down with our own Kristen Welker moments ago in his first network interview since being elected president. The wide-ranging sit-down, tape just blocks away from here at New York City's Trump Tower. It airs this Sunday on Meet the Press. And here's some of what Trump had to say about his embattled nominee for Defense Secretary, Pete Hexette, late today. Peter's doing well now. I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He's a young guy with

a tremendous track record, actually. He went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at both. But he loves the military, and I think people are starting to see it. So we'll be working on his nomination along with a lot of others. Since you bring him up, do you still have confidence in Pete Hexas? Yes, I do. I really do. He's a very smart guy. I've known him through Fox, but I've known him for a long time. And he's basically a military guy. I mean, every time I talk to him, all he wants to talk about is the military.

He's a military guy. Have you gotten assurances from senators that he's going to be confirmed? Do you think he can make it? No. I think you will, yeah. I've had a lot of senators call me up saying he's fantastic. You don't drink yourself.

You've talked about how devastating drinking can be. No. How concerned are you that the person who you picked for this top job at the Defense Department, at least according to those who've worked with him, has struggled with drinking. But I've spoken to people that know him very well, and they say he does not have a drinking problem.

Fresh up that interview, Kristen Welker, joins us live tonight at Top Story. Kristen, this looks like an amazing interview. Really great questions there. I do want to get your sense, though, on Pete Heggseth. It sounds like he's standing the ground and he's gonna support Pete Heggseth.

That was my takeaway, Tom. He was very definitive. He does have confidence in him. He did not hesitate when I asked him that question. And when I asked him about some of the allegations that are facing Pete Heggseth, he seemed to really downplay those and insisted that, look, the bottom line is

he thinks he's got the right background. He is the type of person he's looking to to lead the Defense Department. And when I pressed him on the fact that so many people who've worked with Pete Hegeseth have said that they have noticed that he has that he has struggled with alcohol, you heard the president there, defend him

and say, look, I've spoken to a lot of people. I think the fact that he has delved so deeply into trying to figure out what is the root of this problem underscores. You know, he is standing by him for now. I also thought it was notable, though, Tom, when I asked if he'd gotten assurances from senators,

said no. He said, no, he hasn't gotten assurances yet. No senators have come out and said outright, no, they're not going to support him. But at the same time, he's not confident. He's got the votes right now. He says he thinks he does, but he's not confident. You covered President Trump when he's in the White House.

You had that big interview when you launched Meet the Press. And now you talked to him here. What were your key takeaways from this interview? I think one of my biggest takeaways, Tom, is that he believes he does have a mandate after having won the popular vote by 1.6% after having swept the battleground states. And I asked him basically about how he sees his first 100 days in office. And he talked about some of the top agenda items that he's been talking about on the campaign trail from tariffs to the border, to other policies. And we delve into all of that with him. And I really

try to pin him down on what we can expect over these next four years. His second term in office, by the way, he is the second president ever to win non-consecretive terms. The first was Grover Cleveland. Do you get the sense that he feels he has that mandate? I do get the sense that he feels as though he has that mandate. And he talked about the fact that he wants to get going on day one. He's already started. Yeah. NBC News had reported. that he does plan to enact a series of flurry of executive actions. And he confirmed, yes, that is the case. He plans to do that on everything from immigration, the border, to the economy, trying to lower prices.

What does it look like, though? We know that executive actions can face a lot of legal challenges, and so we'll have to see how that comes out. Okay, we look forward to that interview. Chris, so great to have you here tonight. It's a must see exclusive, and of course you can watch it this Sunday on Meet the Press. OK, we turn now to Paris, where celebrations are set to kick off this weekend for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral after the devastating fire there in 2019. It's one of the places President-elect Trump is headed to now. But the event coming amidst political turmoil and growing calls for the French president Emmanuel Macron to step down.

NBC's Kelly Kobayah on the last-minute preparations and the world leaders who are expected to attend. In the heart of Paris, the cathedral people here call the soul of France is ready for its grand deal. debut. Five years ago, the world watched in horror as a raging fire consumed Notre Dame's roof, collapsing its iconic spire and plummeting debris into a monument full of national treasures. I feel like Paris is all, Paris is crying now, not just me. Nearly a billion dollars later and years of careful work from craftsmen and women, the country's national symbol is reborn. Artisans from around the world, including Hank Silver from New England, jumping into help. Being on-site and seeing all the different groups of craftspeople gather together, working together for the same goal.

That was really an incredible thing to see. But the anticipated moment of pride overshadowed by months of political turmoil. As of tonight, the French government has no prime minister, no late. legislative majority and no budget approved ahead of next year. Critics pointing to the country's president, Emmanuel Macron, whose Prime Minister Michel Barnier was forced to resign following a vote of no confidence that collapsed his fragile government. The event, shocking the French people, Barnier's was the first government to fall apart since the 1960s.

It's a bloody mess. It's the same thing that I can say. It's quite sad. I know that McCrone is not very popular right now, but our concern is if we're francophiles, which we are, that the option to McCron could be more right-wing with Marie Le Pen. Now calls for Macron to step down are growing and breathing new energy into pre-planned protests. One nurse saying the fight is in the street and we need to mobilize all together, otherwise

as we will never win anything. President Macron pushing back in an address to the nation, refusing to step down and saying he will serve out his term through 2007. Now, with everything on the line, Notre Dame's reopening a critical moment for Macron to seize. This weekend, he prepares to host a who's who of dignitaries and world leaders at the reopening, from Prince William to First Lady Jill Biden and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, but all eyes on incoming President Trump, who announced he would attend as well.

One Parisian saying, it's a bit early for him to conduct presidential visits. He's not even sworn in yet. Kelly Kobayah joins us tonight from Paris, and Kelly, I want to pick up on that last point there, right? President-elect Trump and Macron have had somewhat of an interesting relationship over the years. We are hearing reports they will be meeting over the weekend ahead of the opening ceremony. Yeah, that's right. And, you know, if you flash back to 2017, the very beginning of then-President Trump's first term, President Macron really tried to woo then-President Trump, inviting him here to

Paris for the Bastille Day celebrations in the summer of 2017. There was a real, it seemed, friendship developing between the two. You might remember that very long handshake on Bastille Day between the two. But in the months that following, the tone shifted quite a bit. President Trump at the time attacked President Macron for his idea to create a European army, also attacked him for France's push to place taxes on big tech giants like Google. But this year, we're seeing a shift yet again. President Macron was among the first to congratulate President elect Trump after the election in November. And now this invitation as well as back-to-back meetings with President-elect Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Tom, no, it's not clear yet. There's been no announcement that President-elect Trump and the Ukrainian president might meet. Tom.

Okay, Kelly Cobey-A, a lot of news there as well. Kelly, we appreciate that. Still ahead tonight, the new health concern tied to milk. The alarming rise in bird flu cases being detected in dairy herds, the new warning to stop the virus from spreading. the cocaine cowboy just freed from prison, the notorious cartel leader, finishing up his 25-year sentence. And TikTok, a step closer to being banned in the USA,

the decision from an appeals court today, and what it could mean for millions of American users. Stay with us. Okay, we're back now with a big and new legal blow for TikTok, the mega-popular video app losing its appeal over a law that could ban the play. platform in the U.S. next year. And now the fight could be headed to the Supreme Court.

Here's NBC Savannah Sellers. Today, federal judges unanimously upholding a law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. citing national security concerns. The three judge panel saying TikTok and its Chinese-owned parent company bite dance have a demonstrated history of manipulating the content on their platforms, including at the direction of China, adding TikTok never squarely denies that it has ever manipulated content. The TikTok ban is coming.

This decision enforcing legislation that requires bite dance to sell TikTok to an American owner by January 19th or face that ban, ricocheting across the app that 170 million Americans use. Money, means of income, our small businesses are going to be affected by this. The judges unmoved, writing TikTok's millions of users will need to find alternative media of communication. But TikTok vowing to fight, arguing the ban was based on inaccurate information. and pinning hopes of a reversal on the Supreme Court taking up the case. Noting the court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that.

We could see the court decide to take the case and put the ban on hold until they rule, likely in late spring or early summer of 2025. Is there a world where Trump has a magic wand and can make this ban go away? There's no magic wand here. This is law. If the Supreme Court upholds it and says that this is not violate the First Amendment, and that it is constitutional, there's not many options left for Trump. This is not an executive order that he can just reverse on day one.

Savannah Sellers, NBC News. For more on this ban of what could come next for TikTok and its users, I'm joined tonight by our good friend NBC News legal analyst, Angela Senadella. She's also at the lawyer Angela on TikTok with nearly 2 million followers. I know you're going to be sort of our legal analysts on this, but you're connected to TikTok as well, so you have sort of inside knowledge on this. Are you surprised by this decision and will this end up in the Supreme Court? So I do think it will end up in the Supreme Court.

I'm surprised by the unanimity. Like this decision was very strong, and they even went even harder than was required. They said even if we applied the highest standard strict scrutiny, which is not even what is being requested here by the government, that we still think that this act survives because the government interest here of national security is so strong. And yes, I do think it's perfectly ripe for the Supreme Court. Okay, I'm going to jump ahead here in my questions because we were talking during Savannah's story. think Donald Trump's going to get involved? He has said he doesn't want TikTok to be banned,

but what can he do? Okay, so I combed through this appellate court decision, and what's really struck out at me is that many times they say they defer to the executive judgment on what is a national security threat. So in this decision, they talk a lot about both Biden and Trump having discussed TikTok as a national security threat. So let's say the Supreme Court decides to take this on, now puts the ban on hold, and then decides to hear it during the next Trump administration, which I think is the most likely path forward. Well, then, if Trump and his team come forth and say, as the executive agency, they believe TikTok is not a national security threat, the court has to listen to that. The Supreme Court has said they defer to the

executive branch on that. But what if the Supreme Court doesn't pick this up? Ticktok is dead in the water if they don't sell. You've worked in the tech industry. This deadline is literally around the corner. Will TikTok be able to find a buyer? I mean, that's rough. I think it could be unlikely, a buyer that would pass again the scrutiny, right? They can't just find any buyer. So, yeah, I think it's possible, but we don't know. And if it was banned, how would that even work? So the ban here is very specific. It's not that TikTok is even banned. It's that these U.S. companies can't actually distribute or maintain it. So it's saying that internet service providers cannot provide service to it. So you wouldn't get access to it on your phone? Exactly. And they're

saying that Google and Apple and these stores would just not be able to sell it. But it's not that even the app on your phone would just go away tomorrow. Okay. This is super complicated. We're going to be following every step of the way. Angela, great to have you tonight on this. When we come back, President Biden considering preemptive pardons. You heard me right. Biden weighing in if he will grant clemency to officials who could be targeted by President-elect Trump. The name's already being floated. Stay with us. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed. Rebels in Syria. in a second major city this week.

The Syrian military said yesterday that they are withdrawing from Hama in central Syria, a city that rebels have never controlled since the start of the conflict in 2011. Hama is just north of the country's third largest city, Homs, I should say it, and the law steals a massive blow to President Bashir al-Assad's regime.

Back at home, a Colombian drug lord released this week from a Miami prison after serving 25 years in prison. Fabio Ochoa Vasquez was a key drug lord for the Medellin cocaine cartel in the 70s 80s. Ochoa and his brothers amassing billions, even making the Forbes' billionaires list in 1987. He's also portrayed and hit shows like Narcos and Griselda. He will be deported back to Colombia following his release. NBC News is reporting tonight that President Biden is considering preemptive pardons to protect critics President-elect Trump has threatened with

retribution. Rumored recipients include Senator-elect Adam Schiff, who Trump said should be arrested for treason, and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who he suggested should face a firing squad. for being a warhawk. Also under discussion, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who Trump called a disaster for his pandemic efforts. And yet another health scare, the Department of Agriculture ordering that all milk distributed in the U.S. is tested for bird flu. The USDA saying that any milk transporter or dairy processor has to collect and share milk samples. Burb flu is spreading through more than 700 dairy herds this year. The testing, which begins in two weeks, is designed to stop the spread between cows and prevent infection in humans.

All right, now to a major advancement in weather technology. Google announcing its new AI model, GenCast, which it says can deliver faster, more accurate forecasts up to 15 days ahead. The company's saying the models forecasts of extreme weather like heat waves and strong winds can help officials save more lives and prevent damage. In one example, the AI model delivered highly accurate predictions of a typhoon in Japan back in 2019. For more on this new technology and what it could mean,

for how to track the weather, NBC News meteorologist, Bill Cairns joins me now. So, Bill, we put up that graph, you know, to someone like me, it's very confusing. We can start there. Walk us through what Google is sort of touting here. Yeah, so what the Google did is they actually went back, and they gave, like, 40 years of data to the AI. And then they said, okay, let's try to recreate storms. We already know what happened to see how it does. So if we show that graphic again, you know, it shows all the paths of the typhoon.

So it first made the prediction on the far left. That was the seven-day forecast, and what actually happened was the red line. The seven-day forecast, well, it wasn't the best. But you'll notice that by day five, it was actually narrowing down on where in Japan it was going to hit. By day three, it was extremely narrow. And, of course, the one-day forecast is going to be more accurate. Now, this is kind of, you know, in general, what would happen with our regular forecast that we give you nowadays on our computer models. But this one, they went and they showed this event, and they did many other events, Tom, and it was proven at 36 hours in advance.

When it did its forecast versus the European model, which we always say is the most accurate, it was 97% better. So that was what the game changer was. And what, you know, they're not just claiming this. It's all open-sourced. We can all get into it. We can see it. I can actually see the published data online now.

It's active. But this essentially is competing with other models that are out there then. This is nothing revolutionary. At first, you're like, oh, why am I needed? You know, how is this completely changed? but the AI needs the initial input. It needs all the observations. It needs the satellites data that our government is providing.

It takes all that and then puts it in. So it needs what's already in there for the infrastructure, and then it's trying to improve on it. And so right now, it's mostly going to be used as a tool. And Google's not first with this. I mean, I can show you that there are other AI competitors out there. Nvidia is doing this. Huawei is doing this.

Google had one before this. So it's a competition. Weather is big money. It's important, you know, think of the military applications, think of the agricultural. You know, there are private equity firms that would pay a ton of money for a more accurate forecast than someone else because they can make a lot of money off. But right now, the AI is not doing that at this point that we can say. It's getting there. This is only two or three years.

Right now it's all considered experimental. Let me show you. Like, I can go online right now, and I can show you the experimental AI forecast for Washington, D.C. Now, it's not going to look on your phone how you get your normal forecast. You know, it shows me in general the next seven. days, how much rain, how much snow, how much precipitation, and I can look at that now, and I can compare it to what my normal sources, and that's where they're at right now. I'm not going to fully trust it.

When we get these next big events, the next hurricane season, or the next big blizzard, that's when these AI models will be compared a lot to what we have now. And if they do better in those big, huge events or tornado outbreaks, that's when it's going to start. It's a trust thing. Okay, but let me ask you this, why do we still need Bill Carrance? because I still trust in Bill Carrance, right? Because we don't know how it's going to perform in all of these individual small events. Maybe it can tell you where the hurricanes can head better,

but can it actually tell you where that ice storm line is going to be? Can it actually tell you where the tornado is going? And once the tornadoes on the ground, can it tell you where it's going. Also in real time. A lot of what you guys are doing is in real time. Correct. And these models are mostly out six to 12-hour increments. It's those gaps in-between where we're trying to save lives.

So I'm not worried about my job. I think we can all get a more accurate forecast. This will be better for all of us eventually. Okay, great. Bill Carons love that, man. But, again, we trust in you. I'm glad you're still here. Okay, coming up, the return of Ace of Base. Yes, Ace of Base, the hit 90s pop group out with a new documentary,

even though they haven't performed together for two decades. Are Chloe Malas sitting down with two of the band's members, so it could fancy an on-stage reunion. That's next. We're back now with a new inside look at a 90s pop sensation. You might know Ace of Bass from their chart-topping hits like All That She Wants and the Sign, but do you know the story of how this group from Sweden put out one of the biggest best-selling debut albums of all time? A new streaming documentary reveals the ups and downs of their journey.

NBC's Chloe Malas sat down with two of the group's members and asked. Ace of Bass's bright, infectious sound, helped define pop in the early 90s with catchy hooks, like all that she wants. All that she wants is another baby, she's gone tomorrow, boy. The group from Gothenburg, Sweden is a family affair, consisting of siblings Jenny, Lynn, and Jonas, and their childhood friend Ulf. But despite this family's chart-topping success, they haven't sung together in over 25 years. Is it possible to see the rest of the studio?

But Ace of Bass is now back in the spotlight with a new three-part docu-series. Streaming in the U.S. on Via Play and add-on on Amazon Prime Video. I think the real story about this amazing never really been told. What I wanted with the documentary is I wanted to tell the hardships, but I also wanted to tell how to get whole again. The intimate series featuring never-before-seen home video footage. I did have like 200 hours of film material from the early 90s until recent days. Showing how the group broke through in the U.S. market with the help of veteran music executive Clive Davis, who insisted that the band add another single to their debut album.

Jonas came up with a great song, The Sign. And when I heard that song, I said, wow, even to the point said, look for our territory, I want to call the album The Sign. Do you think that there would be an ace of base without Clive? Well, not here in the States. That wouldn't have been the same at all. He was amazing. Without him in the U.S., I'm pretty convinced we would never reach number one.

Not long after that meteoric success, including three Grammy nominations in 1995, Sister Lynn stepped back from the spotlight, and the original four members have not performed publicly since. It almost seems like she disappeared. Where is she now? What is she up to? I feel like so many of us want to know. Well, she's leading her life. And she says, I want to be out of the eye.

I want to be out of the tension. And I say, yeah, fine. In the wake of fellow 90s band Oasis announcing their reunion tour, there have been lots of questions as to whether Ace of Base would ever reunite. They previously said they wouldn't. But is this new documentary a sign that Ace of Base could take the stage together once again? I've been tried to push to make a reunion for the past 10 years.

But it has to work as well, and we have to be able to do a great performance for the fans that we can be proud of. Everybody's over 50, and as I say, the time they knock on my door, I got it all prepared. For now, Ulf and Jenny are hoping that the new docu series will give their fans a taste of all that they want. No one's going to drag you up to get into the life where you belong. Chloe Malas, NBC News, New York. All right, we thank Chloe for that. We're going to make sure to watch, and we have much more that you can watch and listen to.

Coming up next on Bingeworthy, we're getting in the holiday spirit with a bunch of new holiday movies that you can stream, plus a new song for winner by Dan and Shea. That's next. Welcome back. It is Friday, which means it's time for Bingeworthy,

and you see the Christmas tree. It's lit up for you tonight. It is that holiday edition of Bingeworthy. You are, look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And then we're going to get you in the holiday spirit. I'm joined now by pop culture expert and host of the show, Human vs. Hamster versus Hamster, I should say, on Max, a good friend of Top Story. The show is the hottest thing in streaming besides Top Story. If you're into the Olympics, if you're into rodents, if you're into challenge shows, this is your show, right?

It's got it all. A special Christmas episode right now. Are you serious? Is it going to make me cry? I'm not sure to make you cry. Okay. It'll have you raising out of your seat, screaming and cheering. I promise you tonight at the Yama's household, we're going to be watching this.

Thank you. I appreciate it. Okay, Brian, we're going to start with a movie that some may have seen on binge-worthy already, but it's gotten so much attention. We're going to play it again, and then I'm going to get your take on it, because I know the reviews have been tough. This one is called Hot Frosty. It's on Netflix.

Let's watch. This is Jack. I was a snowman. That's not good. The cover-all's in the boots. Did you steal them? Yes. Man went street.

in front of poor Ethel Jennings. Hi there! I thought you could use some clothes, but you're going to have to try him on. Oh, whoa, no, not right now. Got it. Maybe he's got something hot. If we could just turn the temperature down. And in my house, we like it hot.

What are you doing? So he's a snowman. Yes, he starts out. It's like frosty. But he's hot. So Lacey Chabair, like the queen of the romantic Christmas movie, She's done over 30 of them, is walking through a square where there's, like, a snowman competition. And there's one with, like, abs and very large pectorals.

And she puts her scarf around it. It comes to life. The snowman is played by Dustin Milligan from Schitt's Creek. And he's, you know, he really, you know, did a fast before this. Do you think he works out? Maybe a little. Okay. A little.

And, you know, not as much as us, clearly. But he's, like, largely shortless for most of the time. Is it very good? Is it fun? I think you go in knowing exactly what you're getting, and you will get that. you'll enjoy it. If you're into this kind of film, I like it. This next one I'm really into. It is called Dear Santa. It's with Jack Black. It's on Paramount Plus. Let's take a look.

You lucked out big times. I'm way better than Santa. Whole, ho, fricking, oh. You, my friend are getting three wishes. You mean like a genie? They stole that for me. By the way, after you make your wishes, I'm taking your soul. You ain't never had a friend like me. Okay, that I may have stolen from Aladdin. Now we're even. Jack Black. I want my kids to get into Jack Black. Are they going to love this? I think they will.

I mean, here's the thing. This is crazy because it's about a kid who writes a letter to Santa, but he spells it wrong and sends it to Dear Satan. So, you know there'll be some places that are very up in arms about this. Jack Black, though, is perfect for this role. There you see, he's writing the letter. And that's who comes. And it'll be

curious to see where it lands, but it's on Paramount Platt. I think this is going to be very funny. I love seeing Jack Black. Jack Black's awesome. It's so great. I don't think we've seen enough of him lately. I agree. Okay. Next up is called another movie here, which I think it's called an almost Christmas Day, unless, yeah, almost Christmas Day. This is going to be on Disney Plus. Let's take a look at that one. What sort of forest is this?

Well, hello there. You're in the wrong place, aren't you? Go back to where you belong. You think you can fight us. Hey there, poor little guy. So I've been drinking a little eggnog. That one was called An Almost Christmas Story. Yes, and so this is about an owl that gets stuck in the tree at Rockefeller Center. And you know, this did actually happen one year. Did you remember this?

Yes, I will tell you, this is a short film. It's 21 minutes, and you will fall in love. 21 minutes? Yeah, it's a short. It'll be nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Animated Feature. And you will fall in love with this owl. Let me tell you, in the way that only Disney knows how to do it, they make this owl so cute, so adorable. It is befriended by another young girl named Luna, who also has lost her parents, and they go on a quest.

And, of course, we find the meaning of Christmas. Just watching the trailer, you'll be like, I'm in. It's so. It's almost over, because it's almost 21 minutes. So we've watched 10% of it. Can I ask, can I be kind of maybe a little bit of a critic, even though it's going to win an Oscar in Love? You're very into this. Animation is like a little scary.

What's the style? Artistic. Oh, it's artistic. I just say it's artistic. It's a little scary to you. It's not for all audiences. It's for mature audience. Nightmare fuel. I don't know. Okay, here we go. Next one up is holiday touchdown. And this is interesting. If you like Taylor Swift, Travis Kelsey, you might be into this one. Let's watch a clip. And please turn your attention to midfield. From Hallmark and the NFL. Derek Taylor, Kansas City Chiefs. Holy God. We are finalists for the fan of the year award. Comes a love story. That's a real Christmas. game changer. Oh, yeah, I know you are. You do? Yeah, the lucky Christmas hat.

We only get to the Super Bowl of someone in her family wears the hat on Christmas. Oh, okay. Do you not believe me? I just need to see some of that Christmas magic for myself. All right? And we just heard Jenna Bush Hager's voice, right? I wasn't crazy. She's in this, okay. Holiday Touchdown, a Chief's love story. So the Chiefs actually reached out to Hallmark and said, we want to do a movie. And so, and you'll, it does have the faint aroma of a Kelsey kind of football player romance. And in fact, Kelsey's mom, Donna, is in it. She has an appearance as the manager.

Wow, those Kelsey's, man. They are maximizing this. They're everywhere. Maximum PR. Whoa. This is on Hallmark Channel. You can stream it and also on, is it Fubu. Okay, Fubu. I just want to make sure I read that correctly. Next up, this is a big one. This one's going to be huge. Because she's huge, even though physically she's not that tall. Sabrina Carpenter. She's got a Christmas special. It's a variety show. So maybe the grandparents will be into it. Maybe not. Kids will definitely love it. Let's watch. I am the spirit of ghosted present. And is it just me?

Are you ignoring me until I go away? I didn't even like that. You love bought me for a month, and then I never heard from you. Is it something I did? Is it? It's not you. It's him. Oh my God. Ghosted past?

Wait, oh my God. Ghosted present? I hate that we're meeting like this. I love your being. Thank you. I got them because he ghosted me, so. All right, Brian. So how is it?

It's good. That's Quinto Brunson who's playing a ghost a la Scrooge, you know, and that's a ghost who's been ghosted. Got it. And Sabrina Carbenter has Chaparone, Shania Twain. Whoa, big names. A nonsense Christmas. You know, Sabrina doesn't take herself too seriously, and she tries to sort of subvert the holiday special in this way and just be good. How's the music?

Oh, great. It's great. It's great. If you were her talent agent, what do you think the idea behind this project was? Is to show that she can do everything? Show her personality. Because she acts, obviously. Yeah, you just show her charm and her personality.

And she's funny? The holiday album called Fruitcake, I think it's called. But she is funny. Yeah, if you've seen some of the live moments in her concerts, she's just got a knack for this, and this is her moment. She's in it. I'm sure we're going to be watching it in our house. Let's talk about some music.

We got Dan and Shea, The Cozy Song. Let's listen to this one. This is the Cozy Song. Go put your house shoes on. Go grab your favorite blanket, So my producers got mad when I said that, but it does kind of almost resemble an S&L sketch, right? It could be. It is a sleepy song.

It is exactly how it is described. Stay cozy. They're a popular country group. They're huge, man. You can't stop them, right? Any awards to their names. And so, yeah, they're just going after that Christmas crowd with that sleepy Christmas song. It looks like they shot it, this video in the same area where we are.

Right. It was like a different time. We'll do our duet. We'll do that. Looking forward to it. Brian, always a pleasure to have you. Thank you. Merry Christmas if I don't see you. Absolutely. Plug the show one more time.

Yes. Human versus Hamster on Max. We're going to watch it tonight. You should too. Okay, thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight and all week. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.