Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, February 9, 2024

Episode Date: February 10, 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, President Biden facing one of his biggest challenges yet in trying to convince voters. He's up for another four years, defending himself and his memory from that special counsel's report. The White House taking the attacks head on today during a lengthy news conference. Even the vice president attacking the special counsel's report. This new re-election fight has President Biden taking on something he cannot change his age. The special counsel appointed to oversee his. mishandling of classified documents deciding not to charge but saying the president's memory, it's not all there. And President Biden's recent stumbles coming into focus as poll after poll

shows voters concerned the president is too old. Also tonight, a deadly crash landing, a private jet bursting into flames, hitting a car after trying to land on a Florida highway. Was the pilot trying to land on the interstate? The chilling message the pilot had for an air traffic control agent. winter twister, Wisconsin's first ever tornado in February, tearing apart homes and businesses south of the capital. The severe weather fueled by unusually high temperatures, breaking records in the Midwest and the Northeast, plus we're tracking a new winter storm set to target the eastern seaboard. Time Square shooter caught, a teen suspected of shooting a tourist and firing at police during the height of rush hour in custody. We're hearing the suspect was a migrant

staying in temporary housing, the attack coming on the heels of other crimes, allegedly at the hands of migrants, how crime and the current migrant crisis are colliding right now. Mexican drug cartels targeting Native Americans. Reservations in Montana, once untouched by fentanyl, now plagued by the deadly drug, and it's being blamed for wiping out an entire generation. The lack of law enforcement and high profits luring dealers thousands of miles north, Plus, startling surveillance video shows the moment a man attempts to kidnap a child. The child's father jumping into action, fighting off the suspect, and pulling the boy back to safety, the pursuit to capture the suspect after the close call abduction.

And Wayne airline passengers? It's not just your luggage hitting the scales. Finare wants to take your weight into account, but it might not be what you think the safety reasons are behind their voluntary request. Top story starts right now. And good evening, the White House in full damage control tonight. The special counsel's report on President Biden's handling of classified documents called him to question his mental fitness for office. One of the most damaging statements we want to show to here concern the president's memory. A reason why the special counsel, Robert Herr, first appointed by President Trump, but then assigned to this case by the current attorney general, Merrick Garland.

decided not to charge the president with the crime. Here's what he wrote. Mr. Biden will likely present himself to the jury as he did during his interview with our office as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory. There were more instances in the special counsel's report about the president's memory, which you'll hear in a moment. But now Democrats, including the vice president,

calling the special counsel's report on the president's mishandling of classified documents, quote, troubling, inappropriate, and politically motivated, language similar to what Republicans use when describing the indictments against former President Trump. Last night, we brought you the President's comments live from the diplomatic room. There has been much written and discussed about this moment where the President misspoke and said Mexico when he meant Egypt. Critics pointing to that as proof the questions about the President's mental fitness are fair.

But there was another moment last night. We also would like to break down. Moments when the President told reporters things that were simply not true. Talking about the documents found in his Delaware home, he said this. All the stuff that was in my home was in filing cabinets that were either locked or able to be locked. But these are the photos that were included in the special counsel's report. You can see right here, box after box that was exposed. The files were out.

They were not locked up. And in this exchange with our Gabe Gutierrez, he asked why President Biden shared classified information with his ghostwriter. I did not share classified information. I did not share it. With your ghostwriter. I did not. Guarantee you did not. But the special counsel said it.

No, I did not say that. But the special counsel did say that. In the report noting President Biden shared some classified information with his ghostwriter from his private diary, beyond the stumbles that Republicans are seizing on, there are actual factual events the president is either getting confused on or not being forthcoming with the public. The White House today defended the president in a lengthy news conference and took several questions, making the larger point. The president was not charged with any crimes. The president is in control of his administration, and the crimes concerning the mishandling of documents by former President Trump are far graver.

Peter Alexander's at the White House tonight for us, and he leads us off with all these developments. Tonight, President Biden, ignoring questions about that explosive special counsel report after last night, disputing the report's conclusion that he willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency. These assertions are not only misleading, they're just plain wrong. Special counsel Robert Her found no criminal charges are warranted. Today, the White House slamming hers report, comparing it to the Justice Department's classified documents investigation of former vice president Mike Pence. It was a brief one-page letter to Mike Pence, but in this case, there was a 15-month

investigation. He reached the inevitable conclusion. based on the facts and the evidence that there was no case here. Justice Department officials tell NBC News, Her included damaging details, referring to what he called the president's diminished faculties in faulty memory because that was a key reason her did not recommend charges. Arguing a jury would be unlikely to convict because President Biden would present himself as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.

I'm well-meaning, and I'm an elderly man, and I know. what the hell I'm doing at that hastily called news conference my memory is fine the president became most heated singling out scathing details in the report that during his interview mr biden did not remember when he was vice president and that he did not remember even within several years when his son beau died how in the hell dare he raised that frankly when i was asked the question i thought to myself wasn't any of their damn business i don't need anyone to remind me when he passed away But moments later, reigniting questions about his memory, referring to the present of Egypt as the present of Mexico when talking about the crisis in Gaza. The president of Mexico, Sisi, did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in.

It's the latest in a series of flubs just this week, saying he recently spoke with French president Mitterrand, who died decades ago. Meet Iran from Germany, I mean from France, looked at me and said, you know, what, why, how long are you back for it? And appearing to forget the name of Hamas until a reporter said it. There's been a response from the, there's been a response from the, there's been a response from the, there's been a response from, the opposition, but yes, I'm sorry, we're from Hamas. The White House says President Biden is not the only political leader who misspeaks and rejects the report's characterization of the president's memory. We do not believe that part of the report lives in reality.

The vice president is also slamming the special counsel. The president's demeanor in that report was characterized. could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated. Our latest NBC News poll shows voter concerns with both President Biden and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, who recently confused Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, speaking about January 6th. Like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. 76% of Americans have major or moderate concerns about the president's mental and physical health, 48% have those same concerns about Mr. Trump.

And tonight there's new reporting about how the White House will try to counter the special counsel's report. Aides here tell me they're going to send out people who meet with President Biden regularly to talk about their personal experiences with him and to rebut what the special counsel said. Tom. Okay, Peter, there's been a lot of questions about the special counsel's report as it's taken a very political turn. So tonight we want to turn to some of the facts. And for that, I'm joined tonight by NBC News Justice correspondent Ken Delanian. Ken, I want you to walk our viewers through all of this, right? And let's start really at the beginning.

Why is there even a special counsel report? That's an important question, Tom, because a lot of people are making comparisons to what James Comey did in 2016 when he criticized Hillary Clinton, who wasn't going to be charged over her emails. Comey did that on his own. In this case, this special counsel report is required by federal regulations. Rob Herr had no choice but to write this report and send it to the Attorney General. Those are the rules upon conclusion of a special counsel investigation. The special counsel has to justify his decision to charge or not to charge.

So the White House and Democrats are now attacking the special counsel, right, for putting in the report the issues about the president's memory and the way they observe the president's memory. Why, from your reporting, did Robert Her feel it necessary to include these details? So what Justice Department officials tell me is that this report, again, was designed to explain why Rob Her was not charging President Biden despite significant evidence that he found of willful retention of classified information, which is a felony. And part of the reason he didn't charge Mr. Biden is because it's not clear that Mr. Biden remembered when he retained those documents and was even caught on tape discussing finding classified documents back in 2017, six years ago. didn't call the FBI, didn't turn over the documents. So that was incriminating, but Rob Her found that because of Mr. Biden's faulty memory, a jury is unlikely to convict and unlikely to find criminal willful intent there. And as part of that picture, Rob Herr explained some of the things

that he and his team observed in the five-hour interview that they conducted with Mr. Biden some of the profound memory lapses. Now, you can argue about whether he was gratuitous in his language. A lot of people are quite offended by some of the words he used. But this is a prosecutor trying to explain his rationale. So then walk us through Attorney General Merrick Garland. He gets this report and it's made public. Is that all part of the law? Is that because Merrick Garland wants transparency?

Explain that. No, that's a great question. It's not part of the law. He doesn't have to make it public. And that's where some people are criticizing Merrick Garland. But here's the thing. Merrick Garland, in response to what Bill Barr did when Robert Mueller issued his special counsel report and Barr kept it secret and characterized it on his own and got a lot of

criticism for that. Merrick Garland promised that he was going to make public every special counsel report under his tenure and he was not going to interfere. He's not going to edit those reports or characterize them. And that's what he's done. You know, there are four special counsels that he's appointed, the Durham, the John Durham report. He released it without editing. Now we've seen the her report. The same thing will happen eventually when Jack Smith issues a report on Donald Trump. So Garland's position is hands off. I've appointed this special counsel. It's up to him. We're releasing the report. That's an unusual situation, though. Prosecutors don't normally talk about conduct by uncharged people, Tom, unflattering conduct. And so that's why this is very

controversial. And then finally, Ken, can you explain why the special counsel felt compelled to compare this case and the case against Donald Trump in his handling of classified documents? Yeah, that's another really important fact. Rob her is a lifelong Republican. Yet he took time in this report about President Biden to distinguish this case, in part because what he was saying was, look, there are a lot of presidents have actually taken classified documents home and have not been charged, and he was comparing President Biden's behavior to other presidents, including Ronald Reagan. But he said the one case that stands out is Donald Trump. It's not like the others because Mr. Trump is accused of refusing to turn over documents that were requested by the government and then subpoenaed. And of course, he's accused of obstructing justice by ordering subordinates to destroy. destroy evidence and then lie about it. That's an incredibly serious allegation. It's a 41-count indictment against Mr. Trump. It's not even in the same universe as what Mr. Biden is accused of

doing, Tom. Ken Delaney, and we thank you for that. For more on the political fallout that President Biden is facing, I want to bring and meet the press moderator, Kristen Welker. Kristen, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. The White House had a full court press today on the issue of Biden's memory. Do you think they gained any ground back? Well, Tom, I think it's an open question. Look, we saw a defiant President Biden addressing reporters late Thursday saying, my memory is just fine, blasting the allegations that he didn't remember things like when his beloved son, Bo, passed away. He spoke about that in very emotional terms. But is this enough to address the concerns of the American people? Because these concerns about his memory, Tom, hit, at the heart of Americans' biggest concern. I've been talking to Democratic strategists. They say they liked what they saw last night

when he came out swinging right up until the point when he confused the leader of Egypt and Mexico. So one person said, look, flubs are baked into the cake. Still, they want to see President Biden out front. They want to see him taking his case to the American people. As one person said, he's the only person who can change this narrative. Kristen, since you brought it up, I'd like to go back to last night, right?

Because what's really stood out to me beyond what happened during his remarks. And then later when he came back to the podium and he had that flub, as you mentioned, was just sort of the questions, right? And the rapid fire questioning from the White House press corps. Here's a snippet of that that I want to roll for our viewers. When you were asked about your age, you would respond with the words, watch me. Many American people have been watching, and they have expressed concerns about your age. That is your judgment.

That is your judgment. Kristen, I wanted to show that again, because to me it stood out a little bit, right? Because, you know, the White House press corps obviously always aggressive. They want to get their questions. They want to get their answers in. But to me, it took me back to a time a few years ago when we'd see that. Or we see it right now when former President Trump comes out, and the press just comes with just a million questions, right?

They just sort of bombard him. We haven't seen that as much for, I think, several reasons with this administration. They also just sort of handle themselves differently, and usually it's a little more organized. But I feel the story was so hot last night, right? You had to sort of react this way as a reporter. Any reporter would. I was talking to Peter Alexander last night when this was happening, and I asked him, you know, is this a turning point for this administration and this re-election campaign?

And Peter, you know, rightly so said the voters will decide. But I do want to pose that question to you, Chris. And do you think this is a turning point in a moment that we will remember and mark on this campaign? Because there's 269 days, 68 days before Election Day now, right? And now we have this issue. And there's a big question. And even though some voters may be surprised because it's in every single poll, it's at the top of American voters' minds, it's not the top of the minds of the press corps as well.

And I wonder if the president is going to have to deal with this until Election Day. Absolutely, Tom. And based on my conversations with some top Democrats, this is a turning point for a couple of reasons, one, because it is a wake-up call to the fact that this issue is not going away, as you say. And number two, it's a wake-up call that the strategy that the president is deploying in his reelection campaign has to change. That's what they would argue. That tense moment that you saw between President Biden and the reporter there, really underscores the fact that this was a hastily arranged press availability. This was a White House that was dealing with, frankly, a crisis that caught them flat-footed. The fact that the president had had been indicted for his handling of classified documents, but that scathing assessment that he was an elderly man with a poor memory, they weren't prepared, I think, for that really blistering assessment. And so they were scrambling to address it.

I think what you are going to see now, a lot of conversations behind the scenes. about how to shift the strategy to better counter this narrative. And so I think that you can rightfully say that in many ways yesterday may have been a turning point for President Biden in his reelection effort. Kristen, as we talk about President Biden, I want to put up a stat from our latest NBC News poll that sort of speaks to what we're having this conversation about tonight. And it talks about how voters think about his mental capacity, right?

It shows 76% of voters say they have major concerns, 62% moderate concerns and 14% about Biden's not having the necessary mental and physical health to be president for a second term. It's sort of a tough hurdle for him to overcome, right, because he can't change his age. And then you have moments like not doing an interview during the Super Bowl, not doing a lot of sit-down interviews, right? There is not a lot of access to President Biden. We haven't seen him out there a lot. Do you think they change that? Are you hearing they're going to change that?

Will we see President Biden more? Because the only way he can sort of turn that tide is doing it himself, right? Absolutely. And look, I think that what you are starting to see, Tom, are the conversations intensify behind the scenes about the need for a shift in strategy. The fact that President Biden came out on Thursday in that fiery defense of himself, I think may have been the first step in trying to address those concerns about his age. talking to some of his closest advisors, they say it's the one intractable thing. We cannot change his age. There's nothing we can do about it. The only thing they can do about it, some of his advisors say, Thomas, to let Biden be Biden. That's what you saw last night. Flub and all,

as one strategist said, look, flubs are baked into the cake when you're talking about President Biden. Let him get out there. Let him have more access to the press. Let him do more interviews, as you say, and frankly, more press conferences. Part of the reason that last night felt like reporters were shouting over each other is because it wasn't a pre-planned press conference where reporters were getting called on. So everyone started shouting over each other to try to get a question to him, if there are more press conferences, if there are more press availabilities, if there are more campaign events where voters have access and the ability to ask him questions.

Some Democratic strategists say that is really the only way to address these concerns that are so widespread, as you pointed out there in that poll, more than 70%, 76% of respondents in our latest poll saying they have real concerns about his age and ability to serve. Kristen, I know you're going to be talking about this on Sunday. Let our viewers know who's on the show Sunday and what we can look forward to. We have a jam-pack show, Tom. We've got Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

He is significant for a number of reasons, in part because there. This past week, House Republicans brought a bill to the floor to try to impeach the DHS secretary. It failed. It was an embarrassment to House Republicans. They're going to take another stab this coming Tuesday, so we'll talk to him about that and about, of course, the situation at the border. We also have Biden campaign co-chair Mitch Landrew, so we'll talk to him about some of these concerns about the president's age, about this special counsel report. And then we have former New Jersey governor, Chris Christie. he's out with a new book, What Would Reagan Do? We're going to talk to him about the state of the Republican Party.

And his future, of course, he said he's determined to defeat former President Trump, even though he's no longer a candidate. What does that look like? We'll ask him on Sunday. Kristen, we will make sure to watch. Thank you for joining us tonight. We're also following breaking news out of Florida right now, where a small plane has crashed onto a highway near Naples with at least five people on board. Video shows the planes engulfed in flames on I-75, sending columns of black smoke into the air, the pilot with a chilling message to air traffic control, just moments before the crash.

Emergency, clear to land, runway, 2.3, is that hopped at 823? We're clear to land, but we're not going to make the runway. We've lost both engines. Terrible news. The pictures don't get worse than you're about to see one more time. NBC News Senior correspondent Tom Costello, who covers aviation, joins us now. Tom, one thing that does stand out to me, at least when we look at these pictures, talking about a prop plane here. This is a jet. Yeah, that's absolutely right. This is a private jet. It's a Bombardier Challenger, a 600 plane. The plane had taken off from Ohio State University Executive Airport in Columbus, Ohio, though not affiliated itself with the university. And it was scheduled to land

in Naples and then fly onto Fort Lauderdale. However, minutes before it was supposed to land in Naples, about three to four minutes, the pilot reported that he had lost both engines, as you heard there. He declared an emergency simply couldn't make it to the runway. The plane crashed on the southbound lanes of I-75. It clipped the wall, and when that happened, it started somersaulting, tumbling down the interstate, exploding in a ball of fire, hitting at least one vehicle along the way. Airport and county firefighters responded. They had to put foam on the flames to put it out. And now the NTSB and the FAA will investigate. But just a horrific crash. on a very, very busy Friday, on a very busy highway with, unfortunately, two people losing their lives, Tom.

And then, Tom, I know it's early in the investigation, and we're not exactly sure. But does it appear that the pilot may have tried to land on the highway, or do we think he just came down there? The speculation is that he did attempt to land on the highway. If you look at the flight path, he was coming down over the Gulf of Mexico, banked left to then cut over towards Florida, towards the airport. but then clearly saw that runway that was running very, the highway, rather, running close to the runway, and the speculation on the ground is that he tried to put the plane down on I-75. But that is, as you know, a very, very busy highway that runs north-south. And it was on a Friday 3.15 rush-hour traffic approaching rush-hour traffic, a very busy time.

All right, Tom Costello on that breaking news. Tom, thank you. We turn out of the forecast in a rare tornado touching down near... Evansville, Wisconsin. It marked the first time a tornado touchdown in the state during February. That twister, part of a severe storm system in the region. Look at this, damaging homes, uprooting trees and knocking out power. More showers now set to hit the southeast. While the northeast warms up a little bit before getting hit with rain and snow, I want to get right over to NBC News meteorologist. Angie Lassman, joining Top Story tonight. Angie, great to see you. Walk

us through what we're seeing this weekend and beyond. Always great to be with you, Tom. Here's the deal. Those tornadoes, they were fueled across the Midwest by this warmth that you're seeing. It feels like April across a big chunk of the country. And today we broke more record. Chicago, Detroit, coming in with record highs. We're going to see this continue into tomorrow, too, for your Saturday along the East Coast, New York, Washington, D.C., running 10, 15, even close to 20 degrees above normal with temperatures into the 70s for Raleigh.

By the time we get into Monday, though, we turn our attention to our next winter storm. That's going to lead the southeast quite soggy. We'll look for flooding concerns there. it lifts to the north, it starts to cool, and we potentially could be talking about some heavy snow across portions of the interior northeast along I-95. It looks like it'll be more of a rain event that could potentially transition over into a bit of snow by the time we get into the later parts of Tuesday. But here's those snowfall amounts that we're expecting. This could change anywhere from an inch to four inches possible with isolated amounts up to six inches, Tom. Okay, Angie, we thank you

for that. Still ahead tonight, the Times Square shooting. Police say they've arrested a teenager who was living in a migrant facility for shooting a tourist and fighting at officers, firing at officers, I should say. It comes after several other migrants were arrested for another attack on police in Times Square, how the city's leadership is responding tonight. Plus, the governor of Hawaii announcing families of the victims of Lahaina wildfires could receive more than a million dollars in compensation, the one condition for the money that's sparking outrage. And an attempted kidnapping caught on camera in Miami Beach, the father instantly stepping in to save his four-year old. Stay with us.

Back here in New York City, the growing fallout over the city's migrant crisis. Last night, another incident in Times Square. A tourist was shot. Police saying a 15-year-old migrant was the suspect who fled. Today, police arresting the team. It comes on the heels of police officers being attacked by migrants last month, also in Times Square. NBC Stephen Romo has the latest. Tonight, a 15-year-old migrant under arrest accused of shooting and injuring a tourist in a packed time square. The boy also accused of firing at officers after he and two other teens allegedly tried to shoplift from a sporting goods store Thursday night. Just like we promise, less than 24 hours later, he's locked up and off our streets.

The injured tourist from Brazil telling NBC New York, I believe this was just an unfortunate incident. It could have happened anywhere in the world. Police say the suspect entered the country from Venezuela in September and was living in a temporary shelter for migrants. He had fled the scene last night and was apprehended today. It's the second high-profile crime involving migrants in Times Square. New body camera footage has now been released from last month's attack on police officers. The footage shows just how the incident started with officers trying to get a group of migrants to leave before the suspect. Suspects tell police to stop touching them as they walk away.

One of the officers pushing a suspect against a wall as spectators tell each other to record. As an officer tries to detain the man in yellow, a fight breaks out as other suspects jump in. After days of criticism, the district attorney announcing the indictments of seven people related to that assault. Based on our thorough investigation, I stand here today confident. that we have identified the roles of every person who broke the law and participated in this heinous attack. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was under fire for earlier releasing four of them without bail.

But now the DA, along with the New York City mayor, defending their actions. Our job is to follow the facts, no cases that stand in the court of law. The migrant crisis now dominating headlines and creating a climate of fear that's fueling more crime. Now, the NYPD doesn't specifically keep track of which crimes are committed by undocumented residents. But records show migrants living in New York City centers were arrested 1,200 times last year. That's linked to just 15% of the city's facilities. Still, Mayor Eric Adams pushing back on the perception that many or even most migrants are out there committing crimes. The overwhelming number of 170,000, they want to finish their next leg of their journey or

pursuing the American dream, but there is a small minority that's participating in illegal behavior. A recent Stanford study showing immigrants are 30% less likely to be incarcerated than white U.S. born citizens. They've taken over. But still, fears and tensions running high. On Tuesday, this moment unfolding live on Fox News. Our guys have just taken down one of the migrant guys right here on the corner. When the leader of the group known as the Guardian Angels was doing a live interview. Members of the group shoved a man immediately calling him a migrant and accusing him of shoplifting. But the NYPD saying later that the man is an American from the Bronx and making no mention of shoplifting. Unfortunately, we've been warning about this.

The more you use dangerous and violent language and misinformation, the more potential there is for dangerous and violent actions to occur. Stephen Romo joins us now live on set. Stephen, I think it was important to point out. those stats from Stanford about the real crime waits historically with migrants in the United States. But I do want to ask you about that incident with the Guardian Angels. What would eventually happen there? Yeah, police showed up. The NYPD is looking into this. They did say that the man who was not a migrant was issued a summons for being loud when they actually got on scene. I do want to point out, though, that the leader of the Guardian Angels did post an apology today taking responsibility for

misidentifying that man as a migrant and did end up apologizing for that. But the crime What's happening here with the Garden Angels that just speaks to the chaos happening right now with migrants here in the city. Okay, thank you for that, Stephen. Coming up next, an NBC News investigation. Cartels infiltrating Native American reservations, selling dangerous fentanyl pills to vulnerable communities.

Are Cynthia McFadden traveled to Montana to find out why? That story next. All right, time now for Top Stories News Feed. we start with the five Marines who were killed after their helicopter crashed in Southern California earlier this week they've all now been identified. The U.S. Marine Corps saying they were

21-year-old Lance Corporal Donovan Davis from Kansas, 23-year-old Sergeant Alec Langen from Arizona, 27-year-old Captain Benjamin Moulton from Idaho, 26-year-old Captain Jack Casey from New Hampshire, and 28-year-old Captain Miguel Navajo from Michigan, an investigation

into the cause of the crash is still underway, and our thoughts and prayers of course, with their families. An attempted kidnapping in Miami Beach, all caught on camera. Surveillance video shows the terrifying moments, look closely, a man grabs a four-year-old child as he was leaving a CVS with his parents. The child's father immediately fighting off the man

who then runs off. That suspect eventually caught by officers, he's now charged with kidnapping and battery. An update on recovery effort six months after the deadly Maui wildfires. The governor announcing families who lost loved ones in the disaster could receive up to 1.5 million dollars from a victim's compensation fund, but only if they agreed not to sue state

agencies and local companies that contributed the $175 million fund. Many of those entities currently involved in lawsuits alleging they're responsible for the fires and the extent of the damage. Applications for the aid are set to open March 1st. Okay, next tonight to an NBC News investigation into fentanyl and how it's ending up on reservations. The notorious Sino-Load drug cartel setting up a shop in Montana and specifically targeting Native Americans. NBC's senior legal and investigative correspondent Cynthia McFaddenes explains why. The Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana is beautiful and vast. It is also a wash in fentanyl.

It's as if fentanyl is raining on our reservation. That I'll do anything to help. Marvin Weatherwax Jr. is a tribal leader here and says much of the drug activity on his reservation stems from Mexican cartels selling to community members and using their homes often in remote areas as distribution hubs. They've infiltrated our reservation. They've married in. They've basically set up shop. It's just a problem that won't go away. Tell me what happens at night. It's like a switch turns off and there's a whole different, whole different. A whole different population takes over.

Federal law enforcement officials tell NBC news, one of the most dangerous Mexican drug cartels, Sinaloa, once run by the notorious El Chapo, now in part by his sons, is targeting blackfeet in the state's six other reservations with a steady flow of drugs, including fentanyl. What brought you up here? This is a rare glimpse into that trade.

A Sinaloa cartel member pulled over by police on one of the reservations, during one of his many trips up from Mexico. Are you from around here? You got a passport? Mexico. Mexico? Mexico, yeah. Ultimately, he and two other Cinelloa cartel members were convicted of bringing drugs and cash into Montana,

resulting in one of the biggest drug busts in the state's history. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Over 700,000 fentanyl pills were seized as part of the case, according to Montana's U.S. attorney, Jesse Laskovich. who was in charge of the federal prosecution. Why Montana? Fundamentally, it's money. It's big business.

These are transnational criminal organizations. They're sophisticated people who have a lot of resources and who are as dangerous as they come. They've taken advantage of the situation. Until a couple of months ago, Stacey Zinn ran the DEA here in Montana, working with Laskevich's office on federal drug crimes. She tells me on the reservations the price of fentanyl is high and law enforcement is sparse, fertile ground for the cartel.

Drugs in other cities are saturated. You have multiple cartels. Well, up here in Montana, it's pretty much wide open space and territory for them to be able to grab. Profit margins soar the further away from the Mexican border you go. a single fentanyl pill that costs between 4 and 25 cents to produce in Mexico can be sold for 50 cents or a dollar in San Diego and over $100 on some reservations here in Montana. And then there is the lack of law enforcement.

According to a former federal official, there are less than 20 DEA agents for the whole state. As for the reservations. These reservations don't have enough tribal police to protect them. Very, very few, and there's hundreds and hundreds of acres of land. And nefarious people, the ones that are committing crimes, know this. On the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, the boarded-up meth houses bear witness to what community leaders say is a staggering drug problem. Two years ago, there were 19 police officers for the whole reservation.

So they sued the Bureau of Indian Affairs asking for help. But no help arrived. They now say they're down to seven officers. A Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesperson says the agency does not comment on pending cases. Is the federal government doing everything it needs to do? We always can do more and need to do more to be candid. We're in the West and unfortunately when we don't have the boots on the ground and people aren't being held accountable, it really becomes the Wild Wild West. And I think you see that in Indian country here in Montana more than we should.

Tribal leaders say the effects are devastating. Have you seen a spike in other kinds of crime? Sexual abuse and sexual assault. Human trafficking. Child abuse. Child neglect. Domestic violence. They say they also fear more fentanyl arriving on their reservation.

That fear is already the reality for Weatherwax's community. The Blackfeet declared a state of emergency two years ago after 17 people overdosed, leaving Ford dead in just one week. The drug problem on our reservation, it's so serious that it's pretty much wiping out a generation. They're watching, they're observing. Zinn insists more resources are urgently needed. We are fighting this problem standing on one leg and half the time we're handcuffed. She says, right now, the cartels are winning. Cynthia McFadden, NBC News, Montana.

We thank Cynthia and her team for that. We now want to head to the war in Ukraine. Some liberated Ukrainian towns now fighting a new battle, landmines. One organization, Halo Trust, is now focusing its demining efforts there and using civilian volunteers, including women who want to help save their homes. NBC's Julie Circon spoke exclusively with the company's CEO on the work their job. doing and why it's critical for their efforts to receive more U.S. aid. It's been two years since Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Tonight, a third of the war-torn country is covered in landmines that go undetected. Buried in farmland, near schools, even in playgrounds, one wrong step can cost you your life. They're very, very sophisticated weapons, and many are designed. to catch the unwary. And if you make a mistake with a landmine, you will be killed. A former British general today, James Cowan, leads the Halo Trust, a humanitarian organization that rose to international prominence when it caught the attention of Princess Diana in the 90s.

Its mission to demine the world. By training civilians to safely remove explosive mines, which can be fatal relics of war for decades to come. HALO's focus now, Cowan says, is in Ukraine. Half the economy has collapsed, and so it's not enough to help Ukraine win the war. We've also got to help it get its economy back up and running. They can rebuild, but you cannot rebuild an economy unless you remove the landmines. Ukraine is one of the largest producers and exporters of grain.

Its economy, growing rapidly before the war, turned upside down in a matter of months. In spite of the ongoing battle that claimed at least 10,000 non-combatants and displaced millions more, Anastasia Radina, a member of Ukraine's parliament, says her people are desperate to return home and rebuild. The landmines impacted every aspect of our life. And the economy restart with these landmines in place? Absolutely no. For them, the issue of returning is the issue of safety. How are they expected to return to their normal lives if there is no normal life?

It's a question that is especially relevant now, as Congress debates a $60 billion lifeline for Ukraine, one that has been stalled for months, despite urgent pleas from President Zelensky. After approving four aid packages, Republicans have soured on sending more, with some arguing lethal aid is enough, and others ruling out assistance entirely. Under Republicans, not another penny will go to Ukraine. $100 million, a drop in the bucket compared to the overall ask, would go directly to the demining effort. Who on earth wants to see a child lose its legs from a landmine? It doesn't matter whether you're a Republican or a Democrat.

The U.S. is the organization's largest supporter. And what happens if you can't continue those efforts in Ukraine? If you can't train people how to properly, do you mind? Well, I'm afraid at that point, Ukraine may crumble. Since the start of the war, 20,000 mines have been cleared by the trust's 1,200 employees. Nearly all are Ukrainians, and about half are women. Some have brothers who are in the army. Some have fathers who have been killed.

Some have grandparents who are trapped behind Russian lines. Do you worry that the world is forgetting about Ukraine? Yes, I do. The United States remains the world's superpower. It can't give up on the Middle East or on Ukraine or anywhere else. Julie Serkin joins us tonight from Capitol Hill. Julie, you just think about the people who have to live in Ukraine and also worry about these minds and the damage and death they cause.

Get our viewers up to speed on what's the latest on the aid package because we have been covering this all week from Capitol Hill. It's such an important question, Tom. And just briefly, if I can, that member of parliament I spoke to, actually told me that if they don't get this key aid from Congress, if they don't get the support, her one-year-old son has to be sent overseas to Poland across the lines of Ukraine, of course, by himself effectively becoming an orphan. But here in the Senate, they're working all weekend, including tonight, taking procedural votes to try and advance that

$60 billion package to Ukraine. The question is, what happens with that package in the House where Speaker Mike Johnson, according to sources I spoke to, is planning on breaking it up. and considering it possibly individually senators though who support aid to ukraine want to make sure they get that key aid passed in the upper chamber before that munich security conference at the end of next week okay julia our thanks to you in other news from around the world top stories global watch is next we want to start with a line attack in kenya officials say the line attacked a couple searching for firewood about 125 miles north of nirobi luckily they managed to fight off the animal and are currently recovering from injuries. They're very lucky. It's the second attack this

week. Just days ago, a hyena killed a man outside of Nairobi. Kenyans are now calling on authorities to secure national parks and reserves. Okay, some not so sweet news tonight. Coco prices have soared to an all-time high. Prices have surged nearly 40% or more than $1,000 since the beginning of January. Experts say severe weather patterns have harmed crops in West Africa, which produces three quarters of the world's cocoa production. the CEO of Hershey, saying he expects to limit earnings growth this year because of this. And a Finnish airline is asking people to get this weigh themselves at the gate. That's right.

Finn Air announced it's asking people to voluntarily step on a scale before departing on flights from Helsinki's International Airport. According to the airline, the weight surveys a way to refine weight estimates on flights and see the differences in winter and summer. This leg of the program runs through May. Okay, when we come back, a story to get you excited for this Super Bowl weekend. We'll take you to a bar that's been dubbed Arrowhead East, a mecca for Chiefs fans, but it's not where you might expect. And it all started because of a bet made more than five decades ago.

Trust us, you're going to love this story. That's next. All right, we're back now with what could be the place for Chiefs fans to catch the Super Bowl. And it's not where you might think. It's in the heart of Philadelphia. A devout legion of Chief's Kingdom has. been hiding in plain sight for more than 40 years. NBC's George Solis takes us to the bar where fandom meets family. It's the corner bar in South Philly that speed about as many headlines as Patrick Mahomes' touchdown record this season.

If you're a chief inn, you need to be here because this is where it's out. If you think the reference is a mistake here in the heart of Philadelphia Eagles country, look closer. Definitely a different place. Welcome to Big Charlie Saloon. a.k.a. Arrowhead East? Sports bar? Yeah, you could call it that. But would you call the Declaration of Independence just a document? We talk about football all year around 365 days. These are my boys. Paul Stakeau has been calling the plays here since 1983 when he inherited the joint from the late Big Charlie himself, his old man. I can never imagine how this turned out. But he might have

bet on it like he did in 1970 when he promised then four-year-old Paul the Huffy bike if the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. The bike, long gone, but Paul has been peddling his passion for the team ever since. We've been here for 40 years, so they know us. That's how I think this works. Chief's Kingdom will tell you, part of what makes Big Charlie's work comes from who's been tending bar the last two decades. This bore is everything to me. I grew up here. It's my childhood. Meet Laura Sessa, the Travis Kelsey, the Paul's is Mahomes. It's the people that make it. And not just the regulars. It's from all over. the people that come that make it what it is and how special the pair welcoming new generations of

fans including their own families to what they hope is yet another Lombardi level high of win come this Sunday I really believe that people are they feel when they come in here now we're going to win yeah we have to win we have to win George Solis NBC News Philadelphia Pennsylvania All right, I wonder if George is going to watch the big game over there. When we come back, a look at what you can binge watch and listen to this weekend. The new movie about the recording of the 1985 song, We Are the World, plus a new TV series just in time for Valentine's Day, and new music from Usher right before his big Super Bowl halftime show.

Stay with us. Welcome back. That was this weekend Super Bowl halftime performer Usher. We're going to get to his brand new album in a second because we're back now with Bingeworthy. It's Friday. It means it's our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And tonight we're joined by first time bingeworthy guest, Samantha Rawlins. Samantha, Sam, what will she call you? Sam, we won't make it too hard. We know you're a rookie here on the Bingeworthy, but it's a lot of fun. She's the deputy editor of entertainment at Business Insider. So thank you so much for joining us tonight. to start up with one of the things that I recommended, which I'm a big fan of. It is our first look at, the behind-the-scenes look at the making of the song, We Are the World, the 1985 superstar charity recording for famine relief efforts in Ethiopia. It's called The Greatest Night in Pop. That's what the documentary is called. So on Netflix, here's a sneak peek. I received this call from Herbalafonte, and he wants to do some kind of a song for famine relief in Africa. Basically, what he said was, I need you.

We just thought we'd pull together as many artists as we could and figure it out. It was just a wish list. He said yes without knowing who was going to be on it. Bob Dylan. Stevie Wonder. Paul Simon. Cindy Lopper. Matt Midler.

Billy Joel. Steve Perry. Willie Nelson. Take me up Tina. Kill at me. Diana lost. Everybody was there. So if you love music, if you are a fan of the 80s, like so many people are, this is a great documentary.

Also, you see the level of talent here. You have people like Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, but then you have people like Bob Dylan, and one of the things who's incredibly talented, but one of the things you see in the documentary is that even someone like him felt uncomfortable because of the level of talent in this room. What else did you like about this documentary? Well, I love seeing celebrities interact with each other, particularly musicians. So that was one of my favorite parts. I think a lot of people also just don't realize what really goes into getting a bunch of really famous people in the same room. And it was really just a race against the clock to get. all of this recorded. Yeah, they all did it one night, and it's great to see Lionel Ritchie. He's got great stories about how they put it together and funny interactions he's had with the other artists. And then artists had just got nervous, and they couldn't even sing at times.

Anyways, it's on Netflix. It's awesome. You should definitely watch it. Next up, it's Valentine's Day next Wednesday. So if you're looking for love on the big screen, we've got the romantic comedy upgraded on Prime Video. It's starring Marissa Tomei and Riverdale's Camila Mendez. Here's a clip.

Hello? It's Claire. your boss. I need an extra assistant. I just got invited to go to London with Claire DuPont. You're not on this flight. I put you on one that leaves in four hours. An economy.

You just been upgraded. I'm William. What brings you to London? Our London branch has called in the director of the New York office. Wow. But you seem a bit young to be the director. Yeah. The youngest director in company history. All right. Marissa Tomei. Mendez, I like this sort of pairing up.

How's this? You know, I think it's a nice comforting rom-com for the holidays, for really any time you want to stay in and stay cozy. I think the big thing about rom-coms is sometimes it's just nice to know that you could get a happy ending. Yeah, that is good. Prime Video, you can check that one on. Next up of our TV picks,

where you're sticking with love stories for this one. It's the limited series One Day on Netflix. It's based on the global bestselling book about a romance that spans more than 20 years. Here's a look. After we met I had a bit of a crush on you So what happened to it

It's a crush Back in the late 80s It was all I thought about And now I thought I was only got rid of you I don't think you can All right Sam So flex your entertainment muscles

We're seeing a lot of faces We know so well And take us into this one Because it's a series 14 episodes I think And you said the ending's a little controversial. Yes, so I won't spoil it, but it is based on the book of the same name. So I will say it's an ending that not everybody might like, but I do think this is one where it's really about the journey, not the destination.

You're following this couple throughout 20 years of their relationship when it's kind of like a will-they-won-they throughout. So it's really about all the interactions they have rather than where everything is. And we recognize some of the actors here, right? Especially from White Lotus? Yes, yeah. Leo Woodall from White Lotus and Ambika-Ood. is from a lot of shows in the UK. Oh, that's great. Okay, we look forward to that one as well.

We want to turn out to some music, and you heard him at the top of this segment. It's the Super Bowl halftime performer Usher. Out with his latest album coming home, here's Ruin off that one. Okay, Sam, so how's Usher's new album? I was pleasantly surprised. I think it's a real return to form.

He hasn't had an album in about seven years, a proper album. And it really is just back to all the kind of R&B that made him famous. And looking forward to this halftime performance, right? 12 to 15 minutes, hopefully likely a medley of his greatest hits, right? Career spanning. This definitely got me in the mood for that. Very, very exciting. I think there'll be a lot of great choreography, too.

Yeah, we should look forward to that. Okay, Powerhouse vocalist and guitarist Brittany Howard is releasing her second album. What Now? Here's the title track off that one. All right, interesting little video there. Brittany Howard, people may know her from Alabama Shakes, such a soulful, beautiful jazz, R&B voice. Yeah, this album is her second solo album. It's actually a bit more experimental.

But I think that there's a lot to like here. She tries a bunch of different genres in things that you might not think would work, like dance music or jazz, but they really work with her voice. I think she has a really long career ahead. And I did not recognize her from this album, so she's got maybe an experimental look going, too.

Pretty interesting. Okay, and finally, we got one more, Maggie Rogers with Don't Forget Me Off Her forthcoming Third Studio album. Let's take a listen. somebody or went from the street that when it's time to leave

don't forget me Maggie Rogers topped the top story charts two years ago when she had that great album. How's this one? Album will be out in April, but I love this first song. It's really a return to her kind of folkier roots as well.

And she wrote this new album that's coming out in five days, which is crazy. That is quick work. I think it probably signals that she's got a lot to say, and she knows what she wants to say. Maggie Rogers, we love her here on Top Story. All right, Samantha Rollins, thank you so much for being her on Friday. We really do appreciate it.

Thank you. Yeah, and thank you for watching Top Story all week. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.