Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, July 14, 2023

Episode Date: July 15, 2023

An alleged serial killer has been arrested in New York after a decades-long investigation into the brutal murders of three women, record-breaking heat continues to bake the U.S., and Hollywood is on strike as actors walk off set and onto the picket lines.

Tonight, the dramatic arrest of an alleged serial killer after a decade-long investigation, the stunning development in New York tonight, a 59-year-old architect and father of two, charged with the brutal murders of three women. Their remains found buried on a beach more than 10 years ago. How police say cell phone records, DNA evidence, and gruesome internet searches led them to this suspect, and the reaction coming in from the families of the victims tonight. We are following that record-breaking heat, 85 million people under alerts with triple-digit temperatures from coast to coast, the heat index topping 100 for a 34th straight day in Florida. Artam Yamas reports from a sweltering Miami tonight.

Hollywood on strike, from Los Angeles to New York, actors walking off set and onto the picket line. What A-listers and the writers they're joining on strike are demanding and what it means for your favorite shows. Plus, an update tonight after the sudden death of actor Robert De Niro's grandson, the arrest just made in connection to his overdose. Shine sued, the fast fashion retailer accused of stealing other designers' work. The law typically used against organized crime groups that's being used to bring these new charges. And life-saving call, a good Samaritan jumping into the water to save a man trapped in a sinking car, how police and that brave bystander ultimately got him out.

Top story starts right now. And good evening, everybody. I'm Aaron Gilchrist in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, the stunning arrest in a case that has vexed police in New York for more than a decade. Take a look. This is the man investigators say carried out a string of slayings on Long Island. Rex Heuerman tonight accused of being the Gilgo Beach killer. Heerman wants a successful architect working in Manhattan, now charged with three-counted.

of first-degree murder. The bodies of three alleged victims discovered in close proximity along Gilgo Beach back in 2010. In all, 11 victims discovered on the coast between 2010 and 2011. Tonight, police unsealing the evidence that they say connects Hewerman to at least three of these cases. First, the chilling search history. According to a bail application filed in Suffolk County, Hewerman searched, quote, unsolved serial killer cases and Long Island killer, along with the names of the three victims. Next, his SUV, which matches the description of a vehicle spotted by a witness to one of the disappearances.

That car taken out of his driveway this afternoon. Third, cell phone data pinpointing the area where a threatening call was made to one of the victim's sisters, that location, just half a mile from Heuerman's office. And finally, DNA evidence taken from a pizza crust that Hewerman threw into a garbage can, a match for DNA found on another victim. Police now scouring his Massapequa Park home, which he shared with his wife and two adult children, searching for more clues and possible links to other deaths. In a moment, a former Suffolk County District Attorney who was involved with this case for years is going to join us live.

First, though, NBC's Emily Aketa leads us off. Rex, did you do it? Handcuffed and flanked by authorities, Rex Sherman, taken to a Long Island courthouse today in a case that has confounded investigators for more than a decade. Rex Sherman is a demon that walks among us, a predator that ruined families. Victim's families tearful, as authorities announced the 59-year-old father and husband was charged with first and second-degree murder of three women, Melissa Barthelamy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. There remains discovered within a quarter mile stretch near Gilgo Beach back in 2010.

In all, 11 bodies were recovered in that area during sweeping search efforts, sending a wave. of fear over Long Island residents. I know there's a community out there that as the facts unfold, will be sleeping a lot easier tonight. After following him through the city last night captured on this surveillance video, today investigators searching Huraman's Manhattan architecture firm and home in Massapequa Park, New York, key evidence accumulating this year, including the recent discovery of his Chevrolet avalanche towed from his property today.

A witness to one of the victim's disappearance had described that. vehicle according to court documents. Police say hereman was also tied to burner phones seen here loading more minutes onto the device and authorities pulled his DNA from pizza crusts tossed in a Manhattan trash can. Neighbors on Long Island stunned to learn of the suspected serial killer living next door. The guy's been quiet, never really bothers anybody. You were kind of shocked, tell you truth. But tonight, authorities say the investigation is not over. The work is not done here, but this is a major, major step forward. Jessica Taylor's remains were discovered in 2011.

Heerman is not charged with her murder today, but her cousin hopes this arrest will bring answers. I'm hopeful for the future, and I'm hopeful that a connection is made. And Emily Aketa joins us now. Emily, talk to us about the latest on the suspect here. Where does this investigation go from this point? Hey there, Aaron. Well, his lawyer says Hurerman broke down in tears and insisted on his innocence.

Right now, he is being held without bail behind me on those murder charges. And Aaron, investigators say he is actually the prime suspect in another death to the district attorney calling this a watershed moment. Erin? Emily, Aketa for us tonight. Emily, thank you for more now on the arrest and what it means for Long Island residents. I want to bring in former Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini. Tim, we appreciate you being here tonight. You're a long time, Long Island resident and public safety official there in Suffolk County.

What does it mean for Long Island that an arrest has been made in this case now? I mean, this is a great moment for justice in our community. This case, obviously, has been going on for some time. When you take a look at the victims that are commonly referred to as the Gilgo for, this dates back to 2007. So to see an arrest made today, it really warms our hearts and is an enormous step towards justice. Now, obviously, this is the beginning of the next chapter. You know, as law enforcement highlighted today, they're looking at this defendant in connection with the fourth victim, known as the Gilgo 4.

And then, of course, we have the court process that we have to look to. This is a case where if the defendant holds the people to their burden of proof, this is a trial that will involve an enormous amount of evidence. And judging by the bail application that was filed in public court, there is substantial evidence here, and the DA's office's challenge will obviously have to be to present that in an effective way. And this is a case that's been going on for so long. It just, as just by virtue of that fact, there's just, you know, reams and reams of information. And so there's still a lot of work to do in connection with the charge cases. Obviously, there remain open several more homicide investigations. But nonetheless, this is a great day for Long Island.

A few more questions for you. And you correct me from wrong here. I know you were the police commissioner there. You created a task force to work on this as a cold. case a few years back. You were the DA for Suffolk County. You assigned, what, two dozen almost people in that office to work on this case at that time? What convinced you that this case was solvable years later? And what were some of the big challenges that your team faced in this case? So one of the challenges, of course, was lost time, right? So when we came in, it was late

2015. The case was in disarray. You had the police commissioner and the former DA fighting about how many killers there were, they were fighting publicly. You had the police, I'm sorry, you had the chief of department and the former DA blocking the FBI from assisting the investigation. There was evidence that was not sought or if it was obtained, it wasn't properly analyzed. And so we had to get this case back on track and make up for that lost time. Part of that was creating true collaboration with our law enforcement partners. Part of that was seeking and analyzing new evidence. And that took its course for several years. And when we left the VA's office at the end of 2021, we were confident. I said it, Dan, I said it, I've said it since, and I'm saying today,

we were confident that this case would be solved. And to see that this arrest was made today really warms our hearts. The lawyer for the families of Shannon Gilbert and Jessica Taylor spoke today and believes that Hewerman is only connected to the Gilgible. as you noted here, not necessarily to the other murders that have been linked along Long Island there. He believes another suspect may be out there, is out there, he says. Where would you expect this case goes from here as it relates to that possibility? Well, I think as law enforcement indicated, he's a prime suspect in the fourth victim with respect to the Gilgo 4 and that the other cases remain open and are investigations, active investigation.

investigations. And I don't want to certainly talk about any of the investigative steps or evidence that we've attained in those cases. I'll leave that to the current law enforcement officials. But certainly, one interesting thing you want to sort of keep in mind is whenever there's a development in a case, you know, information, it can generate interest and you can get more information from the public. So certainly, you know, you're going to want to make sure that you're taking in relevant information. Now, of course, a lot of that information that comes in turns out to be false, and it can almost become a burden because you're getting so much information.

But you want to be sure to be listening and analyzing that because you never know when you get a tip that could be really helpful that puts you over the edge in a case. The other issue is you always want to be looking at new technology. Whenever you can utilize new technology to move a case forward, it's important that you take advantage of that, you know, DNA that you may have collected in the early 2000s that was not useful in terms of making identification with new DNA analysis techniques that could lead to identification today, or at least the ability to exclude. So those are some of the things you want to

keep in mind as law enforcement pushes forward. Yeah, we've seen the science progress so much in the last 40 years, really. Tim Sini, we appreciate you making time for us today. Thank you so much. For more now on how authorities built the case against the suspect here in the Gilgo Beach killings. We want to bring in criminologist Dr. Casey Jordan now. Dr. Jordan, thanks for being here. We know authorities followed the suspect for months, even taking DNA from that pizza box, we noted, had been thrown away. The DNA matched DNA found on Megan Waterman's body as investigators were looking into this.

Can you talk a little bit about the importance of physical evidence like this in a case that is decades old? Yes, and I've been really impressed in today's news conference with the level of detail that they have really focused on making sure that they have the proper evidence to make the charges stick. And, of course, we're always preoccupied with the digital evidence, the phone calls, the burner phones, tracking those, you know, the emails and everything. But really, if you will, the nail in the coffin, the deciding force, was the DNA from the hair

found on one of the women's bodies. Not only that, it was on a belt that was inscribed and monogramed that had an initial that matches Mr. Heerman. So when you think about that, his hair was found there, plus his wife's hair was found there, simply through transference. You know, when you live in a home with somebody else, their hair might stick to your coat, and that could get transferred to somebody else. So his wife's hairs were found there. She was not in New York at the time. His hair was found there. matched. And a few years ago, we would not have been able, Aaron, to get DNA off of a pizza crust, but today you can. So Mr. Heerman may have been assuming that he is indeed responsible for these deaths. He may have been overly confident working on outdated knowledge of forensics and technology

and tremendous advancements in the last 10 years that he wasn't counting on. That's why he threw his pizza box in the garbage. If he really thought the police were after him, that they could get DNA off that pizza crust, he never would have put it in the garbage. But that was, in my estimation, the fatal mistake that he made, that really brought everything together so that they can affect an arrest. What do you make of some of the other tactics that were used? I mean, we learned today about surveillance, an observation that was done with the help of the FBI and state police in New York over a pretty extensive, or what seems to us, a layperson as an extensive period of time. How does that strike you as a factor in getting to today?

Well, it's incredibly important because it's time-consuming. A lot of it, surveillance can be just downright boring. I've been out on these things, and you can go days and days and days with absolutely nothing happening, hoping that he throws away a fork or a pizza, you know, piece of pizza or something like that, and you get nothing. But also they learned a lot about his activities with frequenting sex workers, prostituted, women. And this appears to be a chronic theme in his life. They took computers from his office and they're going to do a deep dive search on that, but they've already indicated that there is a tremendous amount of violent pornography, pornography against young girls, children, women, a lot of

bondage and discipline. So that shows his mindset. I do believe that half the reason they were surveilling him, not just to see if they could get his DNA, but in the interest of public safety, which is why they accelerated the arrest is because he was frequenting sex workers, and they have become alarmed that he might have other victims that we don't even know about, and that in fact he's capable of killing any of these women that he's frequenting now. So in the interest of public safety, they decided to go ahead and make the arrest. I wouldn't be surprised if the investigation, of course, continuing even while they pursue these charges, he comes up with more charges. I mean, what they're hoping for, the Holy Grail, Aaron, is that they can get him

to confess and really close the books on all of these open homicide cases, other bodies found in the area, his comfort zone, within 20 minutes of his house, and maybe bring some peace to the families of the other victims that are not yet linked to this case. There's so many things I could ask you about here. I mean, as someone who studies these sorts of incidents, these sorts of people who commit crimes like this. When you look at the amount of time that has passed, if we consider that the four women were murdered in 2010, how likely is it that we would fast forward 13 years and there might possibly be new killings? It's possible, but I think increasingly unlikely as time has gone on for a few different

reasons, simply because of his age. And the fact that we really exploded this case. In 2010, 2011, I was covering this case constantly. I worked with magazines. I went out to Long Island. I met with Joseph Brewer, who was the number one suspect and sat with him and had, you know, at a diner and, you know, determined that I didn't think he was the culprit. But, I mean, that's how entrenched and immersed we were in this case in 2010, 2011. And then, of course, things petered off mostly due to political interference. And this case was mild and mired in political problems between, you know, territorial prerogative, police, FBI, the chief of police attempting to protect the doctor who served the police force,

who was potentially a suspect. And it was all stalemated. What really is heartening to me as a criminologist is that behind the scenes, nobody gave up. and that a new task force was developed, and even though the evidence was very old, and it was easy to be forgotten, I really want to give a shout out to the victim's families because they never stopped putting pressure on the police,

putting pressure on the DA's office to continue with the investigation. And it did take a long time, but I believe they've got their man. He's innocent until proven guilty, of course, but from every angle that I look at this, and I do believe the DA didn't have a phenomenal job, getting the evidence together. He looks good for it from a criminology perspective. He fits the profile completely. And there are other families, too, that are waiting for more answers about what

happened to their loved ones as well. We appreciate your perspective tonight. A criminologist, Dr. Casey Jordan. Thank you so much. And next to the other big headline tonight, the sweltering heat, continuing to hit coast to coast with heat alerts impacting millions of Americans. Our Tom Yamis is in Miami tonight with the latest. Tonight, no relief for this summer of scorching temps. Day after day, record after record, shattered as heat blankets the country. It's really crazy. You can't even go outside, really, without feeling like you're going to pass out. Eighty-five million under heat alerts. Very, very hot. I can not expect to be so hot, to be honest. Here in sweltering Miami, it's day 34 in a row with a heat index over 100 degrees.

And the sand is so hot here on Miami Beach, you can only really be barefoot in the surf. You try to walk on that dry sand, you're going to burn your toes. And when you try to cool off in the ocean, good luck. The water is now the hottest it's been in years. Have you ever seen anything like this heat? No, the continuation of the heat, as long as it's been. We haven't seen that in a long, long time. Jason Casanova is a division chief with Miami Beach Ocean Rescue,

keeping an eye on swimmers and especially now sunbaters. When you're scanning the beach for heat exhaustion, what are you looking for? We're looking for people acting not normal. People like kind of stumbling, kind of a little bit woozy, stuff like that. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue say there's an uptick of 911 calls. We're used to the heat, but lately it's just been unprecedented. The heat making their jobs even more challenging. With that suit on, what does it feel like?

Oh, easily add another 40, 50, 60 degrees. Another 40 or 50 degrees hotter? Easily, yes. The brutal heat stretching from South Florida all the way to the Pacific Northwest. The more sunshine we get, the hotter it's going to be. In Texas, it is so hot, it hurts to touch the steering wheel. Officials there closely monitoring the vulnerable power grid with demand for power hitting a record for the second day in a row, while Oklahoma hitting its highest-ever heat index

on Thursday, 126 degrees, and Phoenix clocking more than two weeks. of temps above 110. In Las Vegas, volunteers were out early, going to homeless camps, passing out much-needed supplies. And this kind of heat, people die. So we are out here trying to make sure that folks get water. They get support. The danger will continue through the weekend when Sin City could hit its hottest temperature ever. While cross-country, waterlogged Vermont will also remain on alert through Sunday, with still more rain forecasted in a region that's only just begun to clean up from historic flooding, as this summer of weather extremes shows no signs of letting up.

And Tom joins us now from Miami. Tom, good to see you. You talked to some of the safety officials there in Miami, obviously. What's the best advice here? How should people do their best to stay safe in this extreme heat? You know, we're talking about dangerous heat here, right? So they say to stay well hydrated, try to stay out of the heat. the sun if possible. For some people who work outside, they cannot. They have to be in this heat.

Try to have yourself covered up. Make sure to have that sunscreen, that powerful sunscreen, drink as much water as you can. Avoid alcohol, obviously. And whenever you can jump into the shade, make sure to do that or jump back inside where there's air conditioning. Again, this is dangerously hot temperatures that we're talking about here. And if you stay too long exposed to that, it could be in some cases fatal. Tom Yamas in Miami tonight, Tom, thank you. So here we are. We're all wondering now when we're going to talk about. turn the page on all this extreme weather. Let's bring in NBC News meteorologist, Bill, Karen's now.

Bill, it feels like the sun is just leaning on you in so many places. You've got Phoenix with over 100-degree weather for two weeks in a row now. Can we expect temperatures to come down anytime soon in some of the hottest places out there? So we're in this historically long-duration heat wave. This weekend's going to be the peak. Now, I'm not saying it's not going to continue after this weekend, but this will be the peak. There's still no end in sight. So obviously we're focusing on the Southwest.

That's where the really extremes are going to be this upcoming weekend. Death Valley, no one's living there in Furnace Creek, but just for the history books, if we do get up to 130, the forecast is 128. That would be one of the top five hottest temperatures ever recorded on the planet. So that's the kind of ballpark that we're talking about here. Vegas has a chance of getting their all-time hottest day. We're going to be close. Right now the forecast, look at this, 117 and 117, both Saturday and Sunday. 117 is their all-time record, so they have a chance.

All it takes is one tick up, and they'll get their hottest day. And this will easily be the hottest weekend ever experienced by any humans in Las Vegas. As far as severe weather goes, the Kansas City area, we have 250,000 people without power in Kansas and Missouri. These thunderstorms are just rocketed through the region over the last two hours. Still severe thunderstorms. These will be approaching Tulsa in Springfield and around Branson as we go throughout the next couple hours. Then we have to worry about thunderstorms tonight with flash flooding in areas of New England. And if not, it's not bad enough on Sunday, Aaron, we do it all over again.

We kind of miss Vermont, but we're going to have some significant issues with water and flash flooding this weekend in almost the same areas that just happened two days ago. All right, meteorologist Bill Cairns. Bill, thank you. A historic shake-up in Hollywood, actors and writers both on strike for the first time in more than half a century. And it's already making waves across the entertainment industry, local economies, and productions overseas. NBC's Dana Griffin has the latest on the impact. from the picket lines. Tonight, massive picket lines from coast to coast, as Hollywood grimes to a screeching halt.

We are here to protect every single member in every category. I just think it's a battle worth fighting. Actors now united with riders striking after contract negotiations collapsed, demanding higher paid and AI protections. The AMPTP, which represents Hollywood Studios, including NBC Universal saying, we are deeply disappointed that Sagafra has decided to walk away from negotiations. This strike is really going to shut down every piece of production in Hollywood.

Actors won't be filming movies or hit shows like American Horror Story. They're also prohibited from doing voice work or promoting any projects. Everyone who works on a movie or TV set, everyone who's involved in catering, makeup and production, every one of these people is going to be out of work right. now. The broader economic impact estimated to be in the billions, all designed to put pressure on Hollywood studios to come back to the negotiating table. You are not serious people. Like his character on Succession, star Brian Cox is defiant. It's a situation which really could get very, very unpleasant. They'll take us to the brink and we will probably have to go to the brink. This Hollywood

drama playing out in real life could drag on. or months. Dana Griffin is in front of the Hollywood sign for us tonight. Dana, how is this strike going to impact all those people out there who are looking for their favorites on the big screen and the small screen? Well, Aaron, they may be a little disappointment because this could actually impact the fall TV schedule. You're likely to see more reality TV and game show productions over the next several

months, and you're not going to see your favorite stars hitting the red carpets. In fact, Universal Pictures has announced that they are. canceling the red carpet for the U.S. premier for Oppenheimer. Erin? Dana Griffin for us in Hollywood tonight. Now to an arrest in the death of Robert De Niro's grandson. The 19-year-old found dead in his New York City apartment earlier this month. The drug dealer, his mother says, sold him fentanyl-laced pills, now facing federal charges.

Valerie Castro has more. Tonight, an arrest in the suspected drug overdose death of Robert DeNiro's grandson, Leandro DeNiro, Rodriguez. Law enforcement sources confirming to NBC News, New York, Sophia Haley Marks, was arrested Thursday night in connection with the 19-year-old's death. Marks now facing federal charges of drug distribution. She has yet to file a plea. A crackdown on dealers is one step that is required to remediate this problem. The likelihood of a homicide charge being drawn against a Perkisset Princess is not remote. The NYPD says De Niro Rodriguez was found dead in his lower Manhattan apartment on July 2nd. His grandfather reacting to his death in a statement saying,

I'm deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson, Leo, were greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. The New York City Medical Examiner has yet to release an official cause of death, but in an Instagram comment, his mother, Drina De Niro saying, someone sold him fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced, yet still sold them to him. So for all these people still selling and buying this expletive, my son is gone forever. The suspected fentanyl overdose, one of thousands of overdoses caused by the drug in New York City in recent years. Last year, the DEA's New York Division seized 1.9 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills, a 152% jump over 2021. The fentanyl crisis in New York City is and has been severe.

This area, the Northeast, the Midwest, and Appalachia have been strongly, severely, detrimentally impacted by access to this drug. De Niro Rodriguez followed in the footsteps of his famous grandfather, appearing in multiple films alongside his mother, including the 2018 remake of A Star is Born. Yeah, I think you're pretty. I understand that. Drina posting multiple tributes to her son on Instagram, including childhood videos of the budding star. Rule number three, most important, do not run, one, you're dancing. Drina, writing in part, I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. You have been my joy, my heart, and all that was ever pure and real in my life.

I wish I was with you right now. I'm so sorry, my baby. I'm so sorry. Now with the arrest, the potential for accountability and the death of a young man gone too soon. Valerie Castro, NBC News. And now to a growing battle in Texas over border barriers. The state's Republican governor, Greg Abbott, turning to large water buoys to stop illegal border crossings. A local business owner now taking him to court. Here's NBC's Priscilla Thompson. Hundreds of bright orange buoys running right down the middle of the Rio Grande that divides Mexico and Eagle Pass, Texas. The barrier, part of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's multi-billion dollar border security program. Abbott argues the federal government has not done enough to stop migrants.

How exactly will the buoys work? Well, just like a border wall. The Texas Department of Public Safety telling us there'll be an effective deterrent against illegal border crossings, which are still high, though down recently from record levels. Migrant advocates worry the buoys could lead to more drownings. They rotate, preventing anyone from climbing over them, and extend at least a foot underwater. It's clearly visible for Mexico, so for anyone to even think about crossing the river, knowing that all that infrastructure is in place, where they're risking their lives. When you heard those bullies were

going on to the river, what went through your mind? Disgust. I was disgusted. But just Fentes, who leads canoeing and kayaking excursions on the river, tells us the buoys are a nightmare. Already, he says parties have canceled and excursions put on hold because of the buoy installation. We looked like a community under siege, you know, and it shouldn't be that way. Now he's suing the governor and the state, alleging imminent and irreparable harm to the business he's run since 2015. Since filing the suit, Fuentes has been inundated with the state. with more than 100 messages like these. Hey, you f*** scumbag, Fuentes, piece of fucking shit.

We care about our fucking border. It is people and companies like you that are destroying this country. Why don't you take your Chico's s' ass and swim across the river where you belong? I feel like I'm stepping into a turf war because it's federal agency versus the state agency. An Eagle Pass is caught in the middle. And we're caught in the middle. And we're sinking. And Governor Greg Abbott responded to that lawsuit saying,

this is going to the Supreme Court. Texas has a constitutional right to secure our border. Aaron? And still ahead tonight, another coach out of a job at Northwestern University. The school firing the head baseball coach just days after the football coach was let go over allegations of hazing on his team, what this latest coach is accused of doing. Plus, the world's longest Burmese python captured where that enormous snake was wrestled to the ground. And Sheen sued, the fast fashion website being charged under a law typically used against the mafia.

We'll explain why when Top Story continues. We're back now with the latest controversy surrounding fast fashion brand Sheen, The popular retailer that has more than 29 million Instagram followers now accused of racketeering. In a new lawsuit, three artists accused the company of ripping off their designs. Ellison Barber has more. This is Sheehan. Fast fashion giant Sheen once again facing serious allegations. Big Sheenhall today.

The Chinese company popular with influencers is one of the largest fashion retailers in the world, known for its extremely low prices. and for adding thousands of products to its site every day. But now a new lawsuit filed in California federal court is accusing the retailer of such aggressive copyright infringement that it violates the RICO Act, a racketeering law that was originally created to target organized crime. The RICO Act did this by allowing them to use businesses in the realm of criminal charges. The three plaintiffs cited in the suit,

independent artist Krista Perry, Larissa Martinez and Jay Barron, allege sheen, quote, produced, distributed, and sold exact copies of their creative work. Shee in here is being accused of having used copyright infringement as the centerpiece of their business. So basically the allegation is that their entire business is a fraud. The lawsuit also alleges that Sheen's business model uses a, quote, decentralized structure that allows it to plausibly redirect blame. to third parties. In a statement to NBC News, Sheen says it takes, quote, swift action when complaints are raised and that it will, quote, vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit. To affordable style. This is just the latest in a string of controversies for the fashion company.

Our undercover cameras will go behind the doors. The company's factories, the subject of a documentary by UK's Channel 4, where Sheen factory workers claimed they are paid as little as $20 a week and are working 17 hours a day. Here in the U.S., lawmakers on both sides of the aisle asking the SEC to look into allegation, Sheen was failing to disclose forced or unpaid labor of the Uyghurs in its supplier factories. Sheen has repeatedly denied allegations of forced labor

or harsh working conditions and tried to clear up what they say are rumors with an influencer tour of its so-called innovation factory in Guangzhou, China. the trip resulting in more backlash, with many online accusing the brand of propaganda, pushing some of the influencers who went on the trip to later publicly address the controversy. I'm someone that can take accountability for my actions, and I want to be better. Ellison Barber, NBC News.

When we come back, a swift boost for the economy. When Taylor Swift comes to town, so do the big bucks. The impact her sold-out tour is having on local tourism. That's next. Now to Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with Northwestern University firing another top coach this week because of bullying allegations. Head baseball coach Jim Foster, quote, engaged in bullying and abusive behavior, according to an investigation. It included negative comments about staff and inappropriate comment about a female staff member. The allegations coming to light just days after.

after the university fired the head coach of the football team. Hunters in Florida catching the longest Burmese Python ever recorded. New video showing that massive snake lunging at local hunters there before they wrestled it and removed it from a nature reserve about 45 miles west of Miami. The snake measuring 19 feet long, 125 pounds. Florida law lets folks hunt Burmese pythons because they're an invasive species. And Taylor Swift has a new reputation, this time as a booster of the U.S.

tourism economy. Philadelphia Federal Reserve officials saying hotel bookings in that area saw the strongest growth since before the pandemic when Swift's era tour came to town. Officials in Cincinnati reporting similar growth for hotels in that region, too, resulting in almost $8 million in profit. Now to power and politics and a key gathering of conservatives in Iowa. Republican candidates courting evangelical voters in Des Moines today at the Family Leadership Summit and the current GOP frontrunner, notably absent. NBC's Dasha Burns was there.

Six months from the first in the nation, Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential candidates today making their pitch to evangelical voters. Candidate after candidates sitting down with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, except for the frontrunner. USA! USA! Former President Donald Trump skipping the event amid a feud with Iowa's popular governor Kim Reynolds, who says she's staying new.

in the race. I hate to say it. Without me, you know she was not going to win. You know that, right? Trump's attack on Reynolds not landing well in the Hawkeye State. How worried should Donald Trump be about Iowa? I think should be very concerned. Evangelical leader Bob Vanderplatt hosted today's summit.

He's not yet endorsed, but is known for backing winners in Iowa, from Huckabee to Santorum to Cruz. And while they didn't become the party nominee, Van der Platt says this time Iowa is essential. If one of these other candidates, prove that they are the ultimate. prove that they are the alternative to Trump, and they're capturing the imagination and the inspiration of Iowans and Americans, and they beat Trump here. I think now you change the narrative. It's why Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is doing all he can to assure nervous donors in a confidential memo obtained by NBC News, laying out his path forward, including a strong

commitment to early states. At a nondescript office park in West Des Moines, paid DeSantis canvassers from around the country are put through eight days of training. part of a $100 million effort from a pro-de-sand his super pack how did the training here compare to what you've had before oh my gosh this is on a different level for the training and Dasha joins us now from Desha the state's governor also signed a major piece of legislation today yeah that's right Aaron governor Kim Reynolds used this event to sign the state's new six-week abortion ban highlighting this issue as a major one for the state's very important evangelical voters and putting the issue front and center in the Republican primary and the caucus here. Aaron? Dasha Burns in Iowa for us tonight. Coming up, an incredible rescue in Kansas. Officers racing to save a man as his car sank in a lake.

Why a bystander who saw him crash is being called a hero. Now to Top Story's Global Watch and the mass. grave discovered in Sudan amid fighting between two military generals. The United Nations says the bodies of at least 87 people, including women and children, were found in a shallow grave in West Darfur. UN officials say they have evidence to suggest Sudanese rapid paramilitary forces, RSF, and an allied militia carried out the killings. However, RSF officials say they were not involved.

An explosion rocked Japan's space program this morning. new video showing a rocket engine exploding during a test on Japan's northern coast. Nobody was hurt and no word yet on what caused the explosion. Japan's space agency was testing a new second stage engine following the failed ignition of a previous model back in March. Back here at home, a dramatic rescue body cam footage showing a heroic citizen and two Kansas police officers who save a man trapped underwater and running out of time. Tonight, a life-saving rescue caught on body cam.

Is there anybody still in there? Who? Where? A good Samaritan and two officers rushing to help a man trapped inside an upside-down van. It was submerged in a Wichita lake. If you're in there, can hear me? Josh Hicks was visiting the city when he noticed something was going on. He ran into the water while his daughter called 911. It's just a mad dash to do anything you can think of to try and get him.

out as fast as you can. Minutes later, Deputy Clinton Harris sees the scene from the highway and immediately pulls over. Deputy Nathan Kingery joins moments later. He started running down the hill, and so I immediately saw what he's running to. The officers jumping into action, breaking windows, and trying desperately to save the victim from drowning. With Hicks' help, they eventually pull the unresponsive man from the van, giving him life-saving CPR until EMS arrives. The victim now at a local hospital in critical but stable condition. I don't know if you could do anything differently. It happens so fast and time seems to stand still when it's all happening. Officers say Hicks was in the right place at the right time to change what could have had a tragic outcome. That dude being there was no accident. I mean, it all lined up the way it had to. Hicks says he's no hero and he commends the emergency workers who do this day in and day out. Thinking about the deputies and the EMS that showed up, they volunteer for it, walk into situations that they don't know what's going to happen every day. When we come back, what you can binge watch and listen to this weekend, the summer I turned pretty back for a second season, plus Adam Devine and a new Netflix comedy, and Billy Eilish meets Barbie.

Her new song, that's next. We are back. now with Bingeworthy, our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And we're joined now by USA Today's host of Entertain This, Ralphie Aversa. Ralphie, appreciate you being here. Aaron, my pleasure. Yeah, good to see you in person, finally, to talk about... You get to partake in some of the popcorn now, unlike last time.

We can eat this, right? It's real popcorn, yes. This is not... I mean, it is a prop, but it's real popcorn, so we can eat it. All right, good enough. I'm going to go for it. Let me talk first. We need to read a little bit here.

The first one up is a popular series that's back... back popular series. It's back for a second season. The summer I turned pretty, it's on Amazon Prime. Let's take a quick look at that. Last summer, felt like a dream. And the rest on your door, I never needed it. It was unlike any other summer. I want to memorize it all. You never know the last time you'll see a place. A person. All right, so this series is actually based on a pretty popular book trilogy. What can people expect for season two?

Well, Aaron, not just popular. I've got to say USA Today best-selling book list popular for that trilogy. Jenny Han, of course, is the author on that one. So for season two, Belly, the main character, she has to deal with some ramifications because she was in a love triangle with two brothers. So, yeah, that can get a little bit of interesting, but this one is on Prime Video nonetheless. So looking forward to watching that, to binging that. All right, let's turn to our second option here.

This is a new mini-drama, a miniseries drama. It's an investigation into a botched kidnapping that we're talking about this time. It's called Full Circle, so here's a quick look. Hello? Listen to me. Who is this? We have your son. The guy on the phone?

Did you have an accent? What kind? Guyanese. Guyonese. Um, does that mean something to you? I like this. This is a little more my speed. Kind of a nail biter, mystery thing going here.

What are the reviews looking like for this? People are anticipating it for a number of reasons. One being Stephen Sauterberg is the director, of course. Academy Award winning director, Traffic and the Oceans series and everything else. And then, of course, you got a lot of star power here, too. Whether it's Dennis Quaid or Jim Gaffigan or Timothy Oliphant or Sazee Beetz, who maybe you know from Atlanta. Yeah, this is really good stuff here, as you mentioned.

Watch kidnapping, and we learned some secrets about this New York City family, full circle, six episodes on Max. All right, definitely wanted to check out here. A couple of comedies now to talk about this weekend. Folks can maybe watch. The first one we have here is Season 2 of the After Party. That's on Apple TV Plus. It's a murder mystery comedy. Here's a quick look.

Look who decided to call. Has there been another murder? Huh? Uh, actually. Give me with that unique rom-com sequel. This is not a sequel. Number one suspect is the bride, Zoe's sister. Murder mystery comedy.

A lot of really funny actors in this. I recognize a few faces here. What can people expect from this one? Yeah, of course, headlined by the great Tiffany Haddish, so you know it's going to be funny, and you're going to get a few laughs in there, too. I like what the Associated Preston with this one. They called it a killer wedding party that they cover in the after party because, yeah, they find the groom and he's dead.

So there's some comedy in there somewhere. I mean, if there's any comedy to be had, you know Tiffany will find it. So the after party, again, that's on Apple TV Plus. Do you know who did it? I mean, if I did, I wouldn't tell you, Aaron. Come on. This is binge-worthy, not spoiler-worthy. Please, come on.

Good point. We don't need to know just yet. Next we have what we do in the shadows. This is back for season five on Hulu. It's been around a little while. It's a look at the lives of four vampires that live together in Staten Island, New York. Watch this. I can no longer wait.

Take me to the United States. Take me to Golden Gate. I will assimilate. This is the mob. Bikini warehouse. Must be a front for a brothel. I would like you to honor these coupons. Let's just a cut out photo of Ryan Seacrest.

Come on, Gizmo. Let a rip. That's how we all learn. So you hear vampires and you think drama, but this looks funny. It is. I mean, hey, season five, of course, as well. So it's been doing very well for Hulu, of course, Harvey Guillen, in this one as Guillermo. Love, love him.

I think he is absolutely fantastic, as I do the rest of the cast, of course, as well. But, yeah, it's really funny to see these vampires and a human or two mixed in as well and all the hijinks that come along with them hanging out on Staten Island. So, yeah, this is an interesting one. Looking forward to season five. All right, a lot of fun to be had there. Last thing on our watch list tonight is going to make folks laugh, too. It's The Outlaws about what happens when a banker believes his future in-laws are infamous bank robberers.

This is on Netflix. Here's a clip. What does a bank manager do? I manage all the security. It's the best. Let's just pray we have a nice, chill day. This is a robbery. I think your parents were on my bank.

You can't be serious. They knew the voice activation code to get involved, which I'm pretty sure I told your mom about when I was wasted. So you have a star-studied cast here for this one. Adam DeVine, we saw there, obviously Pierce Brosnan, Nina DeBrew, Ellen Bark, and I saw there, too. Talk to us a little bit more about this. All right, so Adam plays a banker. He's a bank manager. He's pretty straight-laced, and a robbery happens at his bank,

and he quickly realizes that the robbers may be his future in-laws. So that's the title here, The Outlaws. But then Adam kind of gets tied into his own robbery to kind of save his wife. Don't want to give away too much on this one. But a lot of comedy in this, as you mentioned, Adam's hilarious. He's hilarious. This movie looks really good. Yes, exactly.

It's on Netflix. Is that Ellen Bargain with a gun? That's just, all right, yeah. She's going to be an in-law and an outlaw. There you go. It's a good one. Music next. Let's talk about Billy Eilish out with the song.

What Was I Made for? Is the name of the song here? Listen to this. Turns out I'm not real. Just something you paid for. What was I made for? Because I... I don't know how to feel.

So the video here might give folks a hint that this is actually off the Barbie movie soundtrack. You see the little clothes there, the hair. What did you think? Oh, I love this song. Billy, of course, no stranger to writing songs for movies. Her and her brother Phineas, who co-wrote this song with her as well. Yeah, they did the Bond theme that won them an Academy Award.

So they're on this one. They also had a little help from Mark Ronson, who won an Oscar for Working with Gaga on Shallow for A Star is Born. So a lot of star power on this one. A nice little juxtaposition, too, because you got to do a leap of track from this Barbie soundtrack. That's fun and up-tempo. but then you have this, a little more introspective. Good stuff from Billy Eilish. All right, really nice.

Last thing tonight, we have a new one from Post Malone. I want you to hear a little bit of overdrive. Now I live my life on overdrive. I could be more like here if that's cool with you. I do anything to be cool to you. Yeah, sounding good there. This is off Post Malone's latest album, the upcoming fifth studio album, Austin. So what are you hearing? What's the buzz? I mean, the buzz is this album is highly anticipated. It comes out on July 28th, as you mentioned, the fifth album. We also featured on Bingeworthy, the first single, too, chemical. So if you haven't heard any of these songs yet, he's released three from the album. Definitely go back and check out that one. But I love this one, too. Great stuff from Post Malone. Looking forward to hearing the full album later this month. Yeah, a lot of great options tonight.

Folks are looking for a way to beat the heat this weekend and avoid some of the crazy heat that we're seeing. Or thunderstorms. I feel like we got thunderstorms all weekend here in the Tri-State area. I don't know what's going on with that, but... Lots of binging options. Yeah, yes, exactly. Ralphia, Versa, USA Today.

We appreciate your time today. Thanks. Thanks, Aaron. Yeah. And thank you for watching Top Story tonight for Tom Yamis. I'm Aaron Gilchrist in New York. Stay right there. More NBC News Now is on the way.